A Black Past
by Migalouch
Summary: AU from the season 3 premiere. Castle will have to handle enemies from the past while Beckett tries to find him and help after he gives the 12th the slip. Meanwhile Castle shows a whole new side of himself!
1. Fear Manifested

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does also spoilers for 3x01

A/N: This is an idea that has been stirring in my head for a bit, and I wanted to start it before the season premiere in about a month. For everyone wondering about my other BM/WW story I want to say that I have not forgotten it and it is being betaed and as soon as the next chapter is ready I will have it out as soon as possible. I'm purposely leaving you all a bit in the dark with this chapter, but I will say that this is an AU story and that the character of Castle has some alterations to his past. How much you will just have to read to find out. This story is a side project of mine so updates may or may not be frequent, I still have no idea. Considering it is the first time I am writing a story without knowing how it ends when I begin this is also somewhat of an experiment for me. Any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to send my way.

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Chapter 1: Fear Manifested

Certain things in life have the ability to rattle a man so hard he can feel his bones grate under the strain, seeing the look on the faces of three detectives from the 12th as they arrested him had done it for Richard Castle. Mere hours ago he had been arrested at the murder scene of, according to the NYPD, a Jane Doe holding a gun standing over her dead body. Few things could truly shock Castle, but seeing his three former "partners" after months of absence had done it for him.

While having them stumble upon him in such an incriminating position had been a shock upon itself, it was their reaction to seeing him that was so devastating. While surprise had been the overriding emotion in his own mind it had not been what he saw in the eyes and upon the faces of the detectives. Judgment, resignation, contempt, and anger was all he had seen, and without even giving him a chance to even explain his actions they had passed the verdict of guilty through their minds, cuffed him, and brought him back to the precinct.

Upon their arrival at the 12th he had been booked and tossed into a cell without any of his "friends" offering anything besides looks of disgust and silence. Their demeanors towards him came as a bit of a shock considering he had left them on good terms. Hell he had even doing the noble thing and prevented Beckett from having to choose between him and Demming, which he knew would have caused her a great deal of emotional anguish. Castle had taken himself off the table and given her a chance at happiness, knowing that if he had stayed his jealousy would eventually become to obvious causing Beckett to begin to despise him. However, it appeared that he must have done something significant to piss off the detectives; either that or their friendship had been more under orders than he had initially thought.

Regardless of the actual dynamics of his relationship with the detectives what Castle did know is that he needed to contact Alexis as soon as possible so she wouldn't worry about where he was. Already he had been here for what had to have been four hours without being allowed to contact anyone outside of the officer guarding the cells. Beckett had not even come to question him or even ask him of his guilt in that time. Logically he knew that they were gathering as much information as possible for his impending interrogation, but that time was something he did not have at the moment.

"Richard Castle. Its time to make your call," the guard informed him coming to unlock his cell, but not before making him shove his hands through the food opening in the bars in order to recuff them. Apparently working with a precinct for almost two years granted no special privileges. Depositing Castle at the phone the guard walked a few feet away to give him the privacy that was deemed by law while turning his attention back to the TV.

Now came the most difficult part of the entire ordeal for Castle, how to tell his daughter that not only had he been arrested, again, but it was because he was a murder suspect. Raising his hand to begin dialing his daughter's cell phone number he stopped when he heard his name. Turning towards the TV his largest fear at the moment had apparently been manifested into reality.

"In tonight's breaking news acclaimed best selling author Richard Castle has been arrested by the NYPD as the primary suspect in a murder investigation regarding a still unidentified victim. Mr. Castle is being held by the NYPD after being discovered at the scene before the arrival of the NYPD detectives who were acting upon an anonymous tip. No further news has been released, and calls to Mr. Castle's lawyer and publicist have so far been unanswered," the rest of the news reports comments were lost in a blur as Castle felt his world crumbling around him.

Betrayal turned the blood in his veins to fire with the anger that he now felt. How could his "friends" who he had trusted his life with on multiple occasions so callously inform the media of his arrest without even having the courtesy to speak to him. Turning back towards the phone he knew that the limited time that he had just shrank considerably.

Picking up the phone he dialed Martha's number instead of Alexis' knowing that he had no choice but to dig up a part of himself that predated Alexis.

"Hello Martha speaking who is this?" his mother answered after a few rings.

Taking a few breaths he memorized her voice, only hoping he was in time to be able to hear it again. "Mother its Richard… The World is Burning," with that statement he set the phone back on its receiver turning back towards his cell. Beckett had unknowingly thrown away her opportunity to talk to him because now it was too late. Castle had run out of time and he had no other choice but to escape the 12th on his own.

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	2. Disappear

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Well I received a surprisingly quick and very enthusiastic response concerning the first chapter and I want to thank everyone for that it really means a lot to me. Now having said that I want to go over some things that I didn't in the previous chapter. First off I don't have anyone betaing or proof reading this story so some mistakes will be made. If you point them out I will try and change them as soon as I can. Second of someone mentioned that I have written Beckett as a bit of a bad guy in a previous story and were concerned I was going to do that again. Beckett is not a bad guy in this story by any means, nor has she done anything wrong. Remember folks we have only seen Castle's point of view of the events and do not know why the detectives of the 12th are acting the way they are. Now saying that Esposito and Ryan may get a bit of a beating from me but only slightly. Finally I mentioned that updates would be sporadic and that will be the case _Later On_. Right now I have a general idea of how I want the story to start so I will be able to go a bit faster for these parts. Well that is all so I hope everyone enjoys this chapter is significantly longer than the first!

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Chapter 2: Disappear

"Mother its Richard… The World is Burning," hearing the click signifying that Richard hung up on her Martha immediately moved into action shouting out for Alexis. While hurrying to find Alexis her mind was working in overdrive.

Years ago after Alexis was born and Meredith left, Richard had setup a series of code words and phrases he had made Martha remember in case something happened. Why he had made them had never been explained, only that if he used them then it meant something bad had happened and she should follow the instructions the phrase translated to. In this case it was _The World is Burning_.

The phrase had in itself three parts: an instruction to retrieve something, the nationality of whoever was after them, and their final destination. _World_ Martha knew meant that whoever was after them was unidentifiable, if he had used another code word such as _Sea_ then it meant that the person or persons would have been of Mediterranean descent. The fact that Richard used World meant he had no idea who was after them. _Burn_ meant she had to retrieve an item stored in a safe deposit box under one of the last names she had accrued through her many marriages, inside would be a prepaid cell phone, or burn phone, that had never been activated, but to which Richard had the number memorized. Finally, there was the form of the word _Burn_ in this case _Burning_ which identified where to go.

Filtering through the variety of codes and information Martha eventually deciphered the message as she located Alexis in her room doing homework. "Alexis dear that was your father something has happened and we have to leave right now," Martha said surprising Alexis with the sheer seriousness of her tone.

"What are you talking about Grams? What happened to dad? Oh my god is he ok is he hurt?" Alexis quickly fired back several questions panic finding its way into her voice at the sound of Martha for once not taking light of a situation.

"I don't know dear all I know is that we have to go and that your dad will call us when he can. I'll explain more on the way but we have to go now. Don't bother packing anything just come help me get the bags from your dad's closet." Finishing her sentence Martha quickly whirled around heading towards Richard's room.

Alexis hurried to follow Martha not only confused but immensely worried. Never had she seen her grandmother so utterly serious, nor had she seemed so completely together. Usually Martha Rodgers could be counted on to be slightly tipsy with a drink in one hand and a story on her lips, but the woman in front of her seemed the antithesis of the mother figure that had lived with her for the past few years.

Arriving in Castle's closet Martha headed towards the back corner and slid out two duffle bags and gave one to Alexis while hefting one herself. She did not bother to check them knowing that inside was a variety of cloths fitted to herself and Alexis, as well as twenty thousand dollars between them. "Come on kiddo we got a lot of ground to cover," Martha said with a touch of her old self back in her voice. Turning the two left the apartment together, only one knowing where they were going but neither what was happening.

**(BREAK)**

Castle after completing his call to Martha was led back to his cell, but apparently his luck hadn't run dry just yet. "Hurry up I gotta hit the can," the young officer who was on guard duty exclaimed. Realizing he was about to get his opening Castle quickly sped up and got into his cell letting it close behind him before sticking his hands back through to be uncuffed. Obviously the kid had been taking one too many trips to the espresso machine and as soon as Castle's restraints where off he bee lined it towards the nearest restroom.

Contrary to popular belief a person who is wanted for murder is not just tossed into their cell, in actuality a thorough booking is first done. During that booking any article that can conceal a weapon or means of escape is removed and the individual patted down. This meant that Castle was left without a belt, shoes, coat, watch, or any of his electronics. Thankfully while the mandatory booking was very thorough it was not perfect, nor was this the first time Castle needed to make an illegal escape.

Unbuttoning his pants Castle slipped the right side down to expose his hip and began to feel the skin right below where his hip bone stuck out. In his youth when he had adopted more of a "private" way of life he had been taught a trick of making sure he always had an out. Digging his finger nails into his skin Castle began to gently push, prod, and dig until he was able to extract a two inch long bobby pin covered in blood from the cut he had made. Quickly refastening his pants he went to the lock and set to work.

Never before had Castle resorted to this current method of escape, but since they had taken everything but his shirt, pants, and socks this was his last option. Long ago an instructor had taught him that the safest place to hide something on ones own body was subcutaneously right below the hip bone. While the forearms were much less sensitive to pain the hip was a more ideal spot since injuries there were easy to hide, did not affect a persons movement, and muscle tissue would never build up over what you hid. Taking this to heart a young Richard Castle had hidden a plastic bobby pin there as a means of escape. Honestly he had not even been sure it was still there until now.

Why he initially did this, or how he even learned to pick locks, was a facet of his past that he vigorously tried to forget about each and everyday since the birth of Alexis. Regardless of his thoughts on that part of his life he still retained the skills, and with an imminent threat towards his mother and Alexis he had no luxury of trying to forget who he once was.

Finally hearing the lock click he swung open the cell door and quickly headed out of the holding area, the entire ordeal taking a minute from the time the young guard had left. While the shifts had changed from when he was booked Castle knew that word of his arrest has probably traveled like wildfire among the precinct and that his face was to well known to just walk out the front door. Heading towards the back stairs that were rarely used Castle was hoping to slip out the emergency fire door on the ground level. Sure the alarm would sound, but the alternative was him being seen before he even got off the floor he was on.

Moving swiftly and silently Castle ghosted towards the stairwell. Apparently his luck was still holding as he didn't come across anyone as he entered through the door. Normally Castle would have waited for Beckett and then worked this out even if it took begging and pleading on his part. Normally he would have assumed that he had made some mistake and that their anger was justified. Normally he would have wheedled his way back into their good graces even though it could take weeks and various expensive gifts. This however, was not a normal day. Castle's anger at the detectives of the 12th hadn't abated one bit and he could no longer standby as they got in his way of protecting the two people he cared most about. Since they hadn't bothered to talk to him he couldn't even clue them into what was going on or how badly his family was in danger. Because of that he had not choice but to act independently for the time being.

Apparently Castle's luck had run its course because not even two stories down the door opened leading into the stairway and in entered Ryan and Esposito arguing as usual. Seeing Castle standing in front of them the two froze in surprise letting the door close behind them.

"What the hell Castle, how did you get out?" Ryan exclaimed obviously surprised to see the carefree fun loving author outside of his cell.

"Oh I needed to take a bathroom break and I kind of got lost say do you know which way is back to holding because I got all turned around." Humor was good it was a disarming technique and he knew that, on top of his history with the two detectives, they would not see him as a threat.

"All right Castle I don't know how you got out and I don't care. Your going back to holding," Esposito said with a growl while pulling out his handcuffs and taking a step forward.

Taking the opportunity Esposito had just given him Castle slid one foot forward quickly and shot his flattened hand forward as fast as a serpent. Esposito being caught completely off guard didn't even raise a defense in time as Castle's hand knifed him in the throat causing the detective to drop his cuffs and grasp at his, throat wheezing for air. Ryan also caught unaware hesitated for a second before moving to help his partner. It was a second Castle didn't even need.

Stepping around Esposito, who was quickly sinking to the ground, Castle intercepted Ryan who was rushing towards him. Throwing a punch at Castle proved disastrous for Ryan. Leaning back Castle just got out of the reach of Ryan's extended fist and grabbed his wrist. Quickly twisting Ryan's arm Ryan ended up bending over instinctually to avoid having his shoulder forced out of place. Rising up and behind Ryan Castle swept Ryan's legs out while using his free hand to push down on Ryan's head causing him to meet the ground headfirst.

Hearing Ryan, who was probably unconscious, groaning and assured that the Irishman's head was too hard to break open from what he had just done Castle moved to address Esposito who was still wheezing on the ground.

"Esposito look at me, your fine. I didn't hit you hard enough to crush your windpipe just calm down. You won't be able to talk for awhile so try and wake Ryan up so he can get you help, he probably has a concussion," he instructed the detective. "I would have preferred to let you guys help but you wouldn't listen and I'm out of time. I'm sorry but you left me no choice."

With that Castle got up quickly ran down the stairs. Approaching the fire door Castle couldn't help but think of Beckett upstairs and how surprised she was going to be when she found Esposito and Ryan. Rick had not been lying when he said that he would have preferred the help of the detectives, but their indifference and contempt for him delayed them to long and he didn't even have the time to let them know what he was involved with. Right now his biggest regret was being unable to tell Beckett what was going on and forcing her to chase after him.

Swallowing the feeling of pain, he buried it in his chest. Now his duty to his family was the most important thing on his mind. Shoving the fire door open he was vaguely aware of the alarms throughout the 12th going off. Taking one last deep breath Castle stepped out the door and did what he had been trained to do. He disappeared.

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**Next chapter will be from Beckett's POV**


	3. Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Once again I am overwhelmed by the reviews they are really enjoyable to read! This chapter is from Beckett's POV and it is meant to help clear the air a bit more. I told you all I wasn't making her the bad guy and that Ryan and Esposito would get a beating, I just never said it was going to be done in a literal sense. Next chapter will go into detail about Castle's "mysterious" background and what is going on, but I couldn't help but leave you on a cliffhanger this time around. I have not had this betaed so there may be some disconnect, spelling, grammar, and fact errors but I tried my hardest. If you find any glaring errors just let me know and I will be happy to fix them. I must say I am a bit impressed with myself since the new promo for season 3 shows Castle almost as if he was from my story, I swear I have no clue what is going on with that. As always all questions comments and concerns I would be more than happy to answer just put them in a review and I will get back to you. Now enjoy the third chapter of A Black Past!

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Chapter 3: Discovery

Detective Kate Beckett was in the midst of an utterly horrible day. The day hadn't started that badly, in fact it had been one of the most pleasant mornings in months. While browsing her email this morning she had received a notice from Castle's fan site that he was back in town doing book signings and other PR regarding "Naked Heat." When reading that Kate had assumed that he was booked doing his actual author duties and would be back as soon as he was free. However, her first meeting with him since he had left in the spring had started her day spiraling downward.

An anonymous tip about a murder had led her and her team to an apartment building downtown right before lunch. Normally she and the boys wouldn't have responded to an anonymous tip, but they had just wrapped up a case the day before and had the time to go investigate. If the call had turned out to be a prank then the worst case was that they got to stretch their legs a bit, besides it was a slow day. What they had found at the scene was something that none of them had expected.

After seeing the door had been forced open they had quickly stacked up and infiltrated the room only to find a man holding a gun. The man had been none other than Richard Castle standing over the dead body of a woman holding a snub nosed .38. Of course they had only identified him after Ryan had squeezed off a premature shot that thankfully Esposito had diverted, which had led to a thorough dressing down after Castle's booking for such rookie behavior.

Kate knew she should have been overjoyed at the sight of him after so long, but the situation she had found him in, coupled with Ryan almost killing him, had caused her to completely shut down emotionally. Instead of offering him any glimpse of friendship she had sectioned that part of herself off for the time being and had, like the veteran cop she was, treated him like anyone else that was found red handed at a murder scene. Without a doubt she knew her behavior had rubbed him the wrong way and she had meant to apologize when she had gotten him into interrogation, albeit only slightly since he had after all been found at a murder scene. Ryan calling him a scumbag and Esposito hauling him around by the handcuffs had not helped the situation one bit.

While arresting, processing the scene, then booking Castle had really brought her day down, the past five hours and had only exasperated the entire matter. From the minute Castle had been brought in Internal Affairs had been all over her and the boys trying to discover, and even make up angles for them to be involved in the murder. Needless to say the meddling from IA had not only been extremely aggravating,, but had also kept her from being able to question Castle and tell him the good news that had come back from the lap reports.

It had turned out that the gun that was in his hand had in fact been the one that shot the woman who they still had yet to identify. Fortunately, forensics on Castle's coat and samples taken from his shirt had failed to produce any gun shot residue, which meant unless he could throw a bullet at the speed of sound he couldn't have killed their victim. Regardless of that fact, he was still found at the scene and with the murder weapon so she wasn't able to release him until she had questioned him. Which, thanks to Internal Affairs only recently leaving her alone, she was finally about to get around to doing. That was as soon as Ryan and Esposito got back from their interview with IA on the second floor.

Apparently Esposito's ears had been burning because as soon as she had thought of him her phone vibrated showing a incoming text from him. Sighing in frustration that he was still not here and had resorted to texting her about his tardiness she flipped open her phone. What she saw sent a shot of panic through heras she read,_ HELP F2 AUX STAIRS_ and before she could even completely process the text the emergency fire alarms started going off in the precinct

Quickly springing to her feet Kate grabbed her side arm and bolted towards the stairwell doors, ignoring the rest of the detectives who all headed towards the main stairwell. Throwing open the doors she launched herself down the stairs looking for her two detectives. Coming upon the second floor landing she was shocked at what she saw. Lying on the ground where both Ryan and Esposito with Ryan laying face down while Esposito was slumped against the wall wheezing holding his cell phone.

Not wasting a second Kate snapped open her phone and dialed Lanie. "Lanie I need you in the auxiliary stairwell on the second floor Ryan and Esposito are down and I'm not sure how bad they're hurt," she shouted into the phone barely registering Lanie's squawk of surprise before closing the phone.

Sliding next to Ryan she quickly barked at Esposito demanding an explanation, "What happened to him?" Noticing that Ryan was unconscious, but thankfully not bleeding, she looked at Esposito when he began wheezing in response to her question. Listening to him it dawned on her that he couldn't talk and that the wheezing was his attempts at answering her which explained the text. Hearing a door slam open floors below and the clicking of heels running she knew that Lanie had entered the stairwell and was on her way. Unfortunately for her two detectives, no one else had come upon them since the auxiliary stairwell was never used due to poor floor planning that put the entrances in remote corners that were a fire hazard in themselves to get to. Ryan and Esposito only used it because, as part of their Castle adopted juvenile antics, they discovered that it shortened their distance to the espresso machine by five seconds.

Hearing huffing and puffing Kate turned to see Lanie come and kneel next to Ryan who was starting to groan and regain consciousness, still nose first into the ground. Kate had no idea what had happened to her two detectives, but she bet that them being found like this and the fire alarm going off wasn't coincidence. That matter she could deal with later right now she was worried about her teammates and hoped that Lanie was going to give her good news.

**(BREAK)**

Well hope seemed to work for Kate since she was now sitting at the break room table with Ryan hold a bag of ice to a welt on his head, Esposito drinking salt water to ease the pain in his throat, and Lanie who was still staring at them like a hawk looking for signs of further trauma. Captain Montgomery was leaning against the counter intent to discover what the heck happened to his detectives only two floors above a wide open fire door. After examining them Lanie had concluded that Ryan didn't have a concussion and Esposito's throat was just badly stunned and bruised with no permanent damage to either. Kate now knowing that neither of them was hurt was waiting for them to spill about what happened.

Ryan was the first one to speak simply because he was the only one who could, "It was Castle. I have no idea how or why, but we just got done talking with IA and got into the stairwell and there he was in front of us. We asked how he got out and when Esposito went to cuff him he attacked. I have no idea what happened but next thing I know Esposito is going down and I see the ground coming up fast towards my head then nothing. Next thing I know Lanie is leaning over me and you know the rest."

"Castle? Our Castle? The one we have in lockup right now?" Kate asked incredulously thinking that Ryan must have hit his head harder than she thought and that EMTs were going to be necessary.

Esposito put down the glass of salt water he had been drinking and managed to rasp out his first intelligible sentence, "No question it was him. Castle said he hadn't hurt us to bad then something about wanting us to help but he was out of time and that we wouldn't listen. He sounded pissed." By the end of his statement a grimace of discomfort crossed Esposito's face signifying his throat was still sore.

Kate was a bit flabbergasted. Not only had Castle, the harmless playboy, apparently escaped his holding cell, but then he had proceeded to down both of her teammates and escape with no indication of any difficulty. She knew that he was probably innocent but him running wasn't something they could just sit around and ignore. Anger at Internal Affairs for preventing her from talking to him was her largest emotion, especially since it had led Rick to believe he couldn't talk to them or trust them. Regardless of her feelings Kate Beckett was still a cop and Castle's escape had just made finding him and what information he had her first priority.

"Ok I need to know how he got out of his cell, how he got to the stairs, how the heck he got past you two, and finally what he knows about the murder. Put out a BOLO he couldn't have gone to far and a famous guy like him shouldn't take to long to find," Kate rattled off knowing that the sooner they got to work the sooner she would be able to talk to him.

"I'm afraid that isn't the wisest decision Detective," a voice interrupted from the door of the break room. Whirling around she saw a non-descript short man in a beige suit standing with an air of confidence and mystery. Kate knew she had met this man before and suddenly it clicked. This was CIA Agent Gray that Castle had introduced her to when they investigated the con artist who was killed in an arctic tent in his apartment.

"Agent Gray, what are you doing here?" Kate asked confused to the reason why a CIA agent was not only here, but also commenting on the tracking of Castle.

Looking at them all, almost if sizing them up for their trustworthiness, Agent Gray let out a breath and spoke, "I'm here about Richard Castle. You see, he is one of ours."

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	4. Explanations

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Reviews are getting even better if thats possible and I appreciate them so much thank you all. Well I brought Agent Gray back if you don't remember him he is from episode 2x04 "Fool Me Once" and the very end of this chapter refers to a conversation Castle and Beckett had with him. If you have not seen it or can't remember it you can go catch the clip on entitiled "Agent Moment" and is a really fun clip. So yes I really tweaked Castle's backstory and I had some fun with it, but its to unbelievable of a stretch. Sure they will never actually do it on the show but then again thats why this is fiction. Timeline wise Castle may not be old enough to be doing what he does in the past, but if he was around 40 then it kinda fits and that was the idea I went with. I'm really glad everyone is enjoying this story and while I may not response to your messages it may be in part because I for some reason am writing this particularly fast. Please feel free to review and include any comments, questions, suggestions, and yes even criticism. Well enjoy the chapter and feel free to speculate!

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Chapter 4: Explanations

After a few minutes of silence it was eventually Montgomery who found his composure, "Castle is a CIA agent? That can't be possible we vetted him before letting him sign on with us."

The ice being broken by the captain Kate was quick to chime in nodding her head at Montgomery's words, "That's right on the Tisdale case I ran a thorough background check since we wanted to rule him out as a suspect. Nothing even hinting at such a background came up."

Shutting the door then moving to pull the shades closed Agent Gray made sure they were completely cut off from the rest of the precinct. Satisfied that they were alone and unobserved he started to fill them in, "Do you honestly think CIA operatives have themselves labeled as such in their files? Before I go into further detail it must be clear that what I say will not leave this room and that nothing I said will ever be officially confirmed or denied by the Agency, understood?"

Upon receiving affirmative responses from everyone Agent Gray continued to elaborate, "I should begin by saying that Castle _was_ a CIA agent, but has not been for sometime. I have come to help you all better understand the events concerning this murder. Before you ask the agency is not aware I'm sharing this information with you nor can you record it in any fashion."

Coming to stand by the table Gray continued, "Richard Castle chose to enlist in the armed services at the age of 18. His unique placement testing for the marines caught the attention of the CIA who instead recruited him for wet work, a field agent. It was determined that Castle's past of constantly moving from city to city and school to school made him adept at espionage, due in large part to his ability to fit in wherever he went. For two years Castle was trained by the best the US had to offer and by the end of his training he had exceeded the expectations of every instructor. At the end of his training, due to his proficiency in Russian and Farsi, he was sent to observe, report, and disrupt the relationship between The Soviet Union and the Middle East. Around this time Desert Storm broke out and Castle became instrumental in all clandestine operations involving the arms agreement between The Soviet Union and Iraqi."

At this point Lanie cut him off, "The Berlin Wall fell a year before Desert Storm even began the Soviet Union wasn't even around during that war."

Gray in return glared at Lanie for the interruption, before going into further detail. "Yes the Berlin Wall did come down before Desert Storm began, but it wasn't until a month before the war ended that The Soviet Union officially dissolved, in no small part due to operations by agents such as Castle. The Soviets had hoped that they could turn Iraqi into another Vietnam for the US and that the sales of weapons to the Iraqis who were rich with oil would stop their economic downturn. However, what the American public never discovered was that while some of these sales had taken place others were interrupted and the money stolen by CIA operatives."

"After the war Castle told the agency that he was done with field work and never gave a reason. Before any of his superiors could effectively question him on why he wanted out of the field his first book was released and he was deemed more valuable as a NOC, or Non-Official Cover. In other words he lived his life as an author and did missions for the Agency on the side. During book tours for the next five years he was essential in information gathering operations that his status as an author gave him unique access for. This approach was very successful, and Castle was never suspected of espionage nor did he have any type of altercation during this time. Five years after that he officially retired from the Agency."

"While I cannot go into any details about the operations he took part in, suffice to say that one during Desert Storm involved the Soviet Union selling a number of advanced tanks to the Iraqis. Castle intercepted the money from the Iraqis and the sale was never made. Near 500 million dollars was confiscated," Agent Gray answered in a tone as if he was discussing the weather.

Once again shock fell over the room at the sheer capabilities of the author they once thought completely harmless. None of them ever suspected that Castle was capable of such things let alone that he used to do it for a living. Furthermore, the fact that four professionally trained and veteran investigators were unable to notice any of these traits was testimony to his prowess.

"What does any of this have to do with the murder and Castle escaping the precinct?" Kate questioned after getting over her shock at these revelations into Castle's past.

"Your murder victim was one Felicia Monroe a retired CIA liaison who was Castle's handler for a mission during Desert Storm. Handlers act as liaisons between Agents and Langley, never entering that actual field themselves. The only mission she had with Castle was the one involving the 500 million dollar exchange with the Russians," Agent Gray explained.

Suddenly, a great deal of pieces began to slide into place for the detectives, and while the information didn't explain much it was enough to start a theory. "Well that gives motive," Ryan exclaimed. "Castle must have pocketed some of that money and when Monroe tried to extort him years later by threatening to tell the CIA he killed her."

Kate hearing this was not only was pissed that Ryan could even suggest a thing, but she was disappointed in his lack of faith in Castle. Still with these new revelations by Agent Gray Ryan did make a strong case for motive, the situation was very plausible. After all she had seen people kill one another for less. However, she knew that they had to get more information out of Agent Gray before even beginning to make conclusions.

Shaking his head Agent Gray informed them, "The CIA is not anything like you see on television. For every deal, including the one Ms. Monroe was the handler for, the monetary amount for the deal was discovered before its intercept and then a count verified after received. Castle never took a single dollar from anything he intercepted for the agency and all of his current success has been self made."

"What I can tell you is that putting out a BOLO for Castle will not only send him further underground, but also alert whoever he is after that he has escaped. Castle is one of the best operatives the Agency ever produced and if he truly does not want to be found he won't be. By now he has probably already raided a cache that he most assuredly has setup somewhere around the city and he has altered his physical appearance. I would like to help you more but I've already said too much," and with that Agent Gray turned to walk towards the door.

"Agent Gray one last question. Why are you helping him?" Kate asked.

Hearing this Gray paused with a hand on the door knob. "Early in my career I too was slated for field ops and worked with Castle. First time out in the field he saved my life when I froze. After that I promised that if I ever had the chance I would return the favor in anyway I could. I spent the entirety of Castle's NOC career as his liaison and never worked as a field op again, we became close friends," Gray said.

"Then that statement about you killing a North Korean spy with an ice cream scooper?" Beckett questioned clearly referring to a past conversation the two had held.

Opening the door Gray looked back, "It _was_ a melon bowler, and Castle used it to kill a Russian agent when he saved my life," and with that statement Agent Gray walked out the door.

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	5. Action

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Well this took a bit of time but it is my longest chapter to date for this story. I must say that I am sooo incredibly grateful for all of the reviews. This story has by far been my most favorited/reviewed story to date so far and that really means a lot to me. Thank you all for the wonderful words of encouragment and appreciation that you have written me. Anyway I am bringing back another guest from the series and one that I particularly liked. When I started writing this I will be honest the inclusion of Agent Gray and the character that is mentioned in the chapter were never in my mind for including. But Castle's guest stars simply fit in so well without feeling forced. Why create fake relationships for Castle when he already has perfect ones that fit my needs. Anyway I hope everyone enjoys this chapter once again it was not betaed so all mistakes are my own. Please feel free to contact me to discuss, criticize, or question what I have wrote. Enjoy

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Chapter 5: Action!

If asked the detectives at the 12th could only use the word "shocked" to accurately describe their day so far. First it had been felt when they had discovered Castle at the scene of a crime holding the murder weapon. Next it had been experienced when Castle had not only escaped, but also utterly incapacitated the partners Ryan and Esposito. Topping that off was the arrival of Agent Gray and his explanation of Castle's life as a CIA agent. Finally, the group had once again been shocked at Agent Gray's statement that Castle had saved his life by killing a Russian Agent.

One of the main reasons Kate had believed so strongly in Castle's innocence was mainly because in, her mind, she could never equate the man child that was Castle to being able to take a life. Gray's single statement had just abolished that notion completely. Was Castle the actual killer, and if not then what did he know that they didn't? The case just leaped to a whole new level of mystery and Kate would be damned if she didn't solve it. Now she had to prioritize what needed to be done, and they had to treat this murder like any other one they investigated and solve it.

"Ryan, Esposito," Kate barked out, "Forensics is going over that apartment with a fine tooth comb, but until they come back with something I want to know how Castle escaped from that cell _without_ letting anyone know he is gone. Captain I recommend that we listen to Agent Gray's advice, and until we have a better grasp of the situation we say we moved Castle to an undisclosed location due to his celebrity status." Looking towards Montgomery she saw him mull the idea over in his head before eventually nodding in acceptance.

Lanie piped up at this point, "I've already gone over the victim thoroughly, but I'll take a second look to see if there is anything that I am missing. First time through I didn't know we were dealing with spies, now I won't take anything for granted." With that she stood up and gave Kate's shoulder a squeeze of support before she headed out of the room back towards autopsy.

"I want the tapes from holding and I want cameras from that stairwell so we can go over Castle's escape and I want them in five minutes," Beckett commanded causing Ryan and Esposito to both nod their heads and rush out the door.

Kate knew the two of them felt guilty for letting Castle get by them and that their pride had taken quite a hit today. Thankfully instead of sulking Kate knew the two would be professionals and work all the harder to try and sooth their bruised egos. Taking a deep breath, and marveling over how such a straightforward case had just turned into a nightmare, she turned to find Montgomery still leaning against the counter.

Montgomery looked as if he was sizing her up, and in part that was exactly what he was doing. "Beckett we both know you're the best shot we have at figuring out what exactly is going on. But, if you think that your personal experience with Castle is going to in any way impede this investigation I need to know now. We both know that this mess just jumped to a whole new level, and I need to know that you can handle it well enough that if it goes to court a procedural screw up won't get it thrown out," Montgomery stated as much as asked, for which Kate was extremely grateful.

The Captain acted much like a father figure for Kate, and they both knew that unless he directly asked her if she could handle the case she would _never_ think about it herself. Montgomery forced her to actually analyze the question and while a part of her didn't want to take the case, in fear that she may have to put Castle behind bars, the larger part of her wanted to make sure someone else didn't screw it up. "Captain while I appreciate the concern we can't trust this to someone else. I will solve this case whether that means putting Castle away or clearing his name, and I will make sure the guilty party doesn't get away with it because of an error on our part," she promised, knowing that every inch of her believed the statement she had just made.

Nodding his head almost as if he didn't expect anything less Montgomery turned and walked out of the break room. As soon as he was out the door Kate put her head in her hands and released the breath she hadn't even known she was holding. Thoughts and ideas, all about Castle, were swirling through her head, and somehow she had to navigate that storm and figure out the truth. Needless to say the enormity of the task was daunting not only professionally, but personally as well. She had five minutes before the boys returned with the surveillance tapes, and she planned on spending those five minutes mentally preparing herself for the chase ahead.

**(BREAK)**

Twenty minutes after the boys had come in with a TV and security tapes Kate was infuriated at exactly how much Castle had been keeping from them. Sure she had known that he kept some skills in his back pocket such as his shooting, but this was something else entirely. Seeing him escape his cell had been simply amazing, albeit slightly disgusting. What kind of person hides a lock pick beneath the skin of their hip in case they need to escape? For that matter what kind of person even figures out they _can_ hide a lock pick beneath the skin on their hip?

From then nothing too exciting had happened until he had met Ryan and Esposito in the stairwell. Thankfully the precinct did not skimp on security cameras and the entire altercation had been caught on tape, much to the boy's dismay. Castle had completely flattened Ryan and Esposito, and even she winced when she saw Ryan's head collide with the ground. Kate herself was always at the top of her classes when it came to hand to hand, routinely beating men twice her size, but even she didn't think she could take the two partners down so quick. What she didn't tell the boys is that they were lucky to even be alive. From what she had learned over the years she knew the hit to Esposito was meant to crush a windpipe; and that if Castle put his full weight behind throwing Ryan's head to the ground his skull would have surely caved in. Castle's self-control and precision were the only reason she still had two detectives to order around. From what she knew of Castle he would never chance a person's life, and the fact that he had hit them like he did meant he was extremely confident in his skills.

After watching through the entire escape from beginning to end multiple times, while purposely repeating the part of Ryan and Esposito getting leveled to rub it in, Kate knew she had to get her hands on the audio of that phone call. Unfortunately, law prevented the precinct from being able to record those calls, but they did not prevent them from recording who was being called.

Ryan had done some digging and found out that Castle had called Martha, and Esposito was in the midst of pulling up the recording. Before IA had hustled them off they had put some things into motion, with one being phone taps on all phones under Castle's wireless plan. Thankfully, Martha wasn't quite as independent as she made out to be and Castle was footing the bill for her cell.

"Got it," Esposito rasped out, apparently it was going to take some time for his voice to completely come back.

Turning up the volume he hit the play button as they all leaned in to hear what was being said. "Hell Martha speaking who is this?" Martha's voice sounded in question.

"Mother its Richard… The World is Burning," and as soon as Castle finished saying that a click sounded signifying he had hung up.

"Mrs. R was at Castle's loft when she received that call," Esposito said.

"Ok Esposito with me. Ryan keep going over those tapes my gut is telling me we missed something and I want to know what it is," Kate commanded as she grabbed her gun and badge from her drawer and strode quickly to the elevator.

**(BREAK)**

Beckett and Esposito were just coming back from Castle's loft, which had been unoccupied at the time. After calling Ryan back to confirm Martha's phone was still within the area they issued the search warrant that they had also gotten processed before IA had descended upon them and went through Castle's apartment. Sitting right on the counter was Martha's phone and upstairs they had found Alexis' on her desk. Zero signs of a struggle had taken place so they ended up pulling the surveillance tapes and headed back to the precinct.

Seeing them get back Ryan hung up the phone he was on and approached them. "I got something. When I was looking at Castle I noticed he hesitated right before he dialed the number. It looked like something on the TV caught his eye and since it's always on the local news I called them up and asked what segment they were airing at that specific time. Get this, they were breaking the story of the murder we are investigating, and even worse they mentioned that Castle had been arrested and was being held. Looks like someone here must have leaked the news," Ryan stated while reading off the notepad in his hand.

Theories started to fly through Beckett's head at this revelation and she gave thought to one, "Ok let's say assume that Castle was going to call Alexis or his lawyer right away. Then when he saw the news he got spooked."

Esposito jumped right in, "Figuring if our killers knew our Vic was CIA, and this was about that arms deal, then they knew she would try and contact the one person who could help, the guy who had done the op with her."

Ryan kept right on going, "Seeing his face plastered all over the TV he knew that whoever did kill the girl knew he was connected and so he had to send out a warning to his family in case they went there next."

Beckett finished off their theory, "When Castle's name was leaked he must have assumed the killers would figure out the person she worked with was him. He couldn't wait any longer so he tipped off his mom, escaped, and is either going to meet them or trying to find the people that killed Ms. Monroe to protect his family."

"We have to find Castle, either he will lead us to our killers or our killers are going find him. Either way he is the best lead we have at the moment. I wanna know where he went, remember he has no money on him. And somebody find out what idiot leaked the story to the press!" And with that statement the trio sprang into action, searching records and making calls.

The change was subtle but it wasn't lost on Beckett. Suddenly they had gone from labeling Castle as a suspect, to assuming his innocence and trying to protect him before Felicia Monroe's killers found him. Feeling a tightening in her stomach relax, Kate could only assume that her gut agreed with the thought of Castle being innocent.

**(BREAK)**

Getting across town without being noticed took much more effort than Castle thought. Being in New York a person could assume they would get lost in the crowd fairly easy; apparently those people had never been celebrities. Add in the fact that he had no money to take a cab and that his name was plastered on the news as a murder suspect Castle knew he had an uphill battle.

Knowing that there was no way to stay on the streets and get anywhere during daylight he had retreated to the subway. Hopping a turnstile avoided the toll, but then came the hurdle of the subway itself. Subways had camera on each and every train car which meant that unless he wanted to have a welcoming party at the other end of his ride he needed to avoid getting on one. His solution had been unique, not to mention illegal, but when you're already wanted for murder what is one more minor offense.

Heading towards a door labeled maintenance he had picked the lock and slipped inside. From the room he had pinched a reflective bright orange maintenance vest and a hard hat, unfortunately there were no shoes to be found. Knowing that the best way to blend in was sometimes not to try and be discreet at all he had walked out in the eye catching gear, and headed right towards the tunnel. Subway tracks had maintenance paths that ran along the walls that were raised to the same level as the platforms and were commonly shown in movies and TV. What most people did not know was that while subway stations were littered with cameras the actual tunnels themselves were completely void of them making his movements untraceable.

Eventually Castle had made his way through the tunnels, while managing not to get hit by a train, and had discarded the vest and helmet and exited the subway. Next he headed towards an old storage building that he had rented space in decades earlier. Richard Castle's financials would show no trail to the renting of the space. Instead it drew funds from an account in Europe that had enough cash to last years at a time. Every five years or so he would travel back to the bank and under the assumed name he had opened the account with he deposited more funds in cash. Anyone who _could_ take it a step further would only find that surveillance and the actual staff believed that an elderly old man, and not the acclaimed author Richard Castle, was putting in funds for his grandkids who lived in America.

Castle knew that eventually Beckett would find him, she was too good not to. He could swear that woman was more tenacious than most field agents he had ever met, not to mention much hotter than the lot of them rolled together. But hopefully he had hours before she caught on to what he was doing, and in that time he had a lot of work to do. Uncovering the key he had hidden in a loose brick of a nearby wall Castle had unlocked the door to his storage area and entered.

First thing he did was change his appearance, and a quick box of professional hair dye and some colored contacts had easily done the trick. Brown haired and blue eyed Richard Castle had changed into the almost black haired brown eyed Jonathon Cromwell. Next he changed into a spare set of cloths and decided to quickly get down to the business of finding out who was after him.

Castle knew that whoever killed Felicia would most assuredly be after him, and thanks to the 12th leaking his name her killers now knew exactly who he was. The entire ordeal had started off when Felicia had sent him a letter asking to meet after expressing her concerns someone was after her who knew about what they had worked on together. He had made sure to enter the building and the apartment without being seen by even the security cameras, but what he hadn't been prepared for was the sudden entrance of the three NYPD detectives.

They had arrived so rapidly that he hadn't had any time to actually find a clue to who was chasing Felicia, and now that hope was very small indeed. Castle knew the chances of him being able to get back to the crime scene were slim to none since they would be looking for him, but maybe there was a way to get the evidence without going to the crime scene. Formulating a plan he knew exactly who to contact to help him "appropriate" some evidence.

Picking up the burn phone he had stored in the storage unit, Castle had a call to make before he contacted his mother and Alexis. Dialing the number he waited until he heard the noise of someone picking up the other end, "Powell. I'm in need of a ghost."

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	6. Lead

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Been a bit since I've updated, but that is in part because life and work has gotten in the way quite a bit, but hey at least I'm employed. Reviews have still been great and a real joy for me to read. Thanks to everyone who reads and I want to say I have enabled anonymous review so that if you don't have an account you can still leave a note, but I won't be able to respond. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I want to state that Powell will be making an appearance in the future, but I wanted to leave everyone a bit in the dark for what he is after (not that it isn't heavily hinted at in chapter 5). Please feel free to PM me to comment, criticize, and just ask questions because I am always happy to clear the air a bit. Once agian the story was not betaed so each mistake is my own, and if you spot one please let me know. Well nothing more to say except enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Lead

After getting off the phone with Powell, Rick set about to call his mother and Alexis. By now they should have been out of Manhattan and hopefully on their way towards the woods in Northern New York. Dialing the number he had memorized years earlier he waited until he heard the line being picked up.

"Richard?" Martha asked, clearly worried.

"Yes Mother it's me. How are you and Alexis doing? No problems I hope," he said worried himself that they may not have gotten out away in time.

"Oh thank God! Yes me and Alexis are fine, we just got out of Manhattan and are on our way. Richard what happened, when can we come home, you have me and Alexis so worried," in the background Castle could hear Alexis vehemently agreeing with Martha.

"I'm not entirely sure, and I'm not even sure that you had to leave. I wanted to play it safe and until I know more I can't really give you a definite answer. Just wait for my call it may or may not be from this number, but I am going to try and call you as often as I can. I'll have this all worked out soon and you can go back to burning through my credit cards and throwing crazy parties I promise," Rick said with confidence and the unique banter him and his mother shared.

"Ok kiddo, like I always say you gotta do what you gotta do. Alexis wants to talk to you though, here I'll put her on."

"Dad is that you? Oh God I was so worried when Grams told me we had to leave and to not take my cell phone. What's going on did something bad happen?" Alexis exclaimed going a mile a minute in panic. Castle knew that he had to keep her calm for her own benefit at this point.

Laughing he tried to play it off as no big deal, "Alexis everything is fine just a mix up and I didn't want you or Mother to get involved. There is a problem with someone I used to work with and I'm just trying to clean it all up. I'll be fine just keep an eye on Mother I expect you to keep her under control, after all you are the more mature of the two."

Laughing at the fact that her dad wasn't acting any different Alexis joked right back, "Ok Dad I promise I'll make sure there are no crazy keg parties while we're away. Just be careful and be safe, I love you."

After reassuring Alexis that he loved her as well Castle hung up. He did not feel great about keeping his daughter and mother in the dark, but ultimately it was for their own good. Hopefully this entire fiasco wouldn't take more than a few days to work out. Once Powell delivered what he had sent him to get he would get a firm grasp on the situation, and hopefully have a solid lead to start from. In the mean time he had to gear up and get going before Beckett and the boys figured out where he was. As he mechanically packed, pulling various items off shelves that were on the walls of the unit, his mind was in overdrive coming up with theories and a plan for how to go about keeping his family safe. Even as occupied as he was a small voice kept nagging him that building theories wasn't nearly as fun by himself.

**(BREAK)**

Beckett had to admit, Castle was damned good. Getting lost in New York was easy, but that was only if the cops didn't know where to start looking. For Castle to get lost when they had video of him entering a subway station was downright impressive. Castle hopping a turnstile made sense and was expected. Him not getting on any trains however threw her and the boys for a loop. How the hell did someone go into a subway and not get on a train, without just walking out?

Ryan, Esposito, and herself were pouring over the tapes from the station trying in vain to find some evidence of where he went and how he got out of there. She had even sent the boys down there to try and find him incase he hadn't left the platform, but they hadn't found so much as a trace. How the hell did you lose a famous author in a New York subway, especially one who was practically half naked? Wait that was it!

Grabbing the remote she began to rewind each tape, ignoring the squawks of protest from the boys. Going back she stopped at the point where Castle jumped the turnstile and instructed her team, "Look for someone who isn't wearing any shoes." Seeing comprehension dawn on there faces that Castle was only in socks she hit play.

After about twenty minutes it was Ryan who finally found Castle, "Look that guy in the maintenance vest, he's only wearing socks." Beckett and Esposito scrutinized the monitor closer seeing Ryan was correct.

Together they watched the guy walk across the platform and enter the subway tunnel via the maintenance path. The reason they hadn't spotted him earlier was because they never thought to look for someone who stood out so much. Even then it was only the socks that tipped them off that the maintenance guy may be Castle. Expertly he had avoided looking clearly at any camera while still moving in plain sight, and he had even adopted a different way of walking that threw them off even more.

"We need the security footage from all the subway stations in that direction. Start looking at the next station down the line and keep going until you find which one he stopped at," Kate's statement caused a groan from the boys. Both of them knew that this was a project that was going to literally take hours, not only to pull the video but to then review it.

Kate herself could care less. For the first time since Castle had escaped they had a solid lead on where he went. One thing Kate hated more than anything was having nothing to go on in an investigation, and while they really had nothing to go on in the murder investigation of Ms. Monroe Castle was a different story. Kate knew that as soon as they found Castle the waters would get a little less muddy and they would be one step closer to finding their killers, that is if their killers didn't find Castle first.

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	7. Catching Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: So this is chapter 7 and while I apologize that my chapters are brief in nature I hope my frequency of posts does make up for it. This chapter has a particularly evil ending, but I don't think it will be long til the next one. Besides I like to let you guys/gals stew a bit and come up with your own ideas. The reviews so far have blown me away and thank you so much to everyone that has written one, it really does make me want to write faster (cliche I know but true). As always all comments, questions, and concerns just feel free to put them in a review or leave me a PM and I'll get back to you. Thanks again for reading and enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 7: Catching Up

Five hours later Beckett and the boys concluded that if there was a seventh circle of hell they were in it. Watching endless feeds of security footage was the most mind numbing task they had to perform, it was even worse than paperwork. Since they had no clue how fast Castle was moving they had to actually sit and watch each station's tape for a long length of time. Just as Kate was considering running a tap to the espresso machine she hit pay dirt.

"Got him," she exclaimed causing Ryan and Esposito to abandon their monitor in favor of hers. Sure enough, they saw a still shoeless maintenance worker exiting the subway tunnel and head towards the exit of the station. Watching until he was out of frame they all scrambled to get the tapes for that station and began to put them together so they could observe his movements until he exited.

Playing the series of tapes they watched as the maintenance guy, who they still hadn't positively IDed as Castle, stroll nonchalantly through the crowd of New Yorkers. About halfway through he peeled off his vest and dropped it into a trashcan revealing only an undershirt. Another thirty feet and he took off his hard hat and set it on a bench he passed by, still keeping his face out of sight.

Kate's mind was frantic. All of her instincts were insisting that this was definitely Castle, but until the saw his face they wouldn't have a guarantee. Finally, just as he was about to step out of the subway, still without showing his face, he turned back, looked directly into the camera, and winked.

"That cocky SOB," Esposito murmured in a barely audible tone as they witnessed Castle exit the station on screen. Kate couldn't agree more with that assessment, but oddly she found the act comforting, almost as if he wanted them to find him.

"Get the street camera's around that station and lets figure our where he went from there," she commanded while rewinding the tape in order to check if she had missed anything.

Consulting a map, excitement brimming among the team, Ryan called out, "Doesn't look good that particular area doesn't have any street cameras and they aren't scheduled for installation until next summer. Looks like were gonna have to canvas the area."

"Ya but check this. Agent Gray mentioned that Castle was probably heading to a 'cache' somewhere in the city. Going off that I just searched for any storage rentals in the area and I came up with a hit not even two blocks away. From the looks of there website they rent out long term storage units," Esposito stated while hunched over his keyboard.

Nodding her head at the info Beckett stood up while pulling her gun and badge from her drawer. "Alright lets start there and if that doesn't pan out we can canvas the rest of the area. Castle already has a large head start it's about time we cut it down."

Kate didn't even look back to know that Ryan and Esposito were following her as she headed towards the elevator. Exiting the precinct Kate was anxious to find out where Castle had gone after the station. Castle had a lot of explaining to do and Kate wasn't going to stop until she had every answer she needed, even if she had to beat it out of him.

**(BREAK)**

Watching the trio of detectives leave the precinct parking garage he knew that it was time to make his move. Richard had not only given him all of the information he needed to do his job, but he had also guaranteed he could get the detectives out of the building for a long period of time. Working with Richard was turning out to be more of sport than actual work, and besides doing a job in a police station had always been an aspiration of his. Smiling to himself he briefly pondered the one oddity that Richard had requested. It would prove quite challenging to pull off and still remain unseen, but then again that just made the game more fun.

**(BREAK)**

Arriving at the building that housed storage rentals Beckett and the team had little trouble getting the manager to admit that he had seen Castle enter earlier that day. Surprisingly he had then agreed to open the unit without a warrant only taking time to check Kate's identification. Taking them up he unlocked the door before telling them if they needed anything he would be in his office.

Unsure what they would find inside the detectives drew their weapons and stood at the ready as Esposito opened the door. As soon as the door was opened it was abundantly clear that Castle was no longer there. The room was comprised of a cot against the side wall, a table against back, a board covered with a sheet above that, and storage dressers bins and duffel bags against the other wall. Holstering their weapons they each put on a pair of gloves and set about examining the room.

While Ryan and Esposito took the side walls, Kate headed right for the table with the sheet covered board above it. Her natural curiosity won out and without giving a glance to what was on the table she pulled the sheet off the board and what she saw caused her to gasp aloud, quickly garnering the attention of Ryan and Esposito.

On the wall was an arsenal comparable to a SWAT locker. Mounted were weapons of various styles including handguns, assault rifles, submachine guns, a shotgun, an assortment of knives, and ammo for everything present. What was even more disconcerting to Kate was the glaringly empty brackets that looked like pistols had occupied at one point. Castle was armed.

"Holy Crap," Ryan said, eventually breaking the spell of silence the three had been caught under. None of them expected something like this to be present, even with the knowledge that Castle was ex-CIA. Sure Kate thought that Castle may have a pistol or two stashed for emergency, after all he had shown surprising marksmanship at the range, but this type of firepower looked like he meant to rob a bank.

Snapping out of her daze she quickly barked at the boys to get back to searching the room as she began to examine the firearms more closely. Taking a pistol off the wall she checked for a clip and then slid the slide back to see if there was a live round in the chamber, finding neither. Turning it over Kate was in for a second shock when she noticed the gun had no serial number. Examining the spot where it should be present, she didn't even see evidence of one being filed down or corroded by acid. The gun, or at lease that particular piece of it, was specifically made to be untraceable.

Still examining the firearms the ring of a phone caused her to jump back in surprise grabbing her gun. Looking at the table she saw what looked like a prepaid cell phone ringing. Exchanging a look with Ryan and Esposito she moved to picked it up and answered it.

"Beckett."

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	8. Phone Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: First story of mine to break 100 reviews thank you all so much for making that possible, and because of that here is a fast update! I was concerned that I was maybe moving this story along a bit to slow, but so far I have only recieved positive comments and for that I am very grateful. Thanks for everything guys. So some of you guessed correctly, others not so much but thats the fun of it because even if you guessed wrong it made me think of what I would do if that person did make the call. This is a dialogue heavy chapter and I think you guys will all enjoy it. As always comments, quetions, criticisms, and concerns just review and I'll get back to you. Enjoy!

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Chapter 8: Phone Call

"Beckett."

"Hello Detective how are you and the boys doing this fine evening? I hope Mark didn't give you any trouble, I told him to let you in when you got there," a surprisingly cheerful voice asked from the other end. Kate knew that voice.

"Castle? Where the hell have you been?" Kate asked completely caught off guard at his voice on the other end of the line, not to mention that he had been the reason they didn't need a search warrant.

"Busy with not being caught by you, which I must say is a bit trickier than it would have been ten years ago. Celebrity status does not help with the whole blending in, I mean stopping to sign a woman's chest while running from the cops would be one heck of a clue," the cheekiness and humor had apparently not diminished too much with him being on the run. Despite herself Kate felt her mouth turn up into a smirk at his antics.

Putting him on speaker she continued with their conversation, "We found your little hideout Castle. Do you have any idea how many laws your breaking keeping this kind of stuff around, and I haven't even gotten past the guns."

Laughing on the other end Castle mocked her, "Of course you found it, I mean you do realize you're talking on a phone I left for you? I leave for the summer and your investigation skills really go down the tubes don't they?" Kate felt herself blush profusely in embarrassment at her statement and his subsequent rebuttal. Apparently his humor wasn't all in good fun.

"Why are you calling Castle, you plan on turning yourself in?" she barked out while trying to ignore the soft snickers from Ryan and Esposito.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Detective. You see someone is after me, and frankly while I would have preferred to handle this with the help of the NYPD, I can't. Two years I followed you,, but apparently that time meant very little if you were willing to consider me guilty from the moment you saw me. Your refusal to listen to me along with you leaking the information to the press forced my hand, and until this is over I think I'm better off by myself," with that statement the humor had left Castle's voice and instead had been replaced with an emotionless tone. Kate had never heard the usually bubbly and full of emotion author sound like this.

Beckett had to convince Castle that he got it wrong and she had believed in his innocence from the start. "Castle your cloths came back without any gun shot residue on them. You're not guilty, you…" Kate started before she got completely cut off.

"I know I'm not guilty Detective. What pains me is that the three of you believed I was," Castle interrupted practically spitting venom. "I am not calling to listen to your excuses. I'm calling to tell you to not try and find my mother and Alexis. They are safe and are no longer in the city, leave it at that. When this is over I will contact them to return, but I want you to know that they have nothing nor know anything about what is going on. If you try and find them I'll know, and I promise our next conversation won't be as pleasant."

If this was a pleasant conversation Beckett didn't even want to imagine what the other one would be like. Never had Castle displayed anger at he before, in fact usually it was she who was angry with him.

"Castle, we want to help you but you need to come in. You're already in enough trouble. Escaping custody, fleeing from the police, assault on two officers, probably falsified identification, and now unregistered firearms lacking serial numbers. That's quite a list of charges considering its only been a day, and I'm not even including the fact that you're a witness in a murder investigation," Kate said using the same snippy tone that he had just used.

"Don't forget the $50,000 dollars in unmarked bills that I never declared to the IRS in the duffle bag under the bed. Or how about the illegal possession of explosives, considering that putty looking substance that Esposito is most likely sniffing is actually C4," Castle confessed causing Ryan, who was holding a wad of hundred dollar bills, and Kate to quickly turn to see where Esposito was in fact holding a block of a putty looking substance close to his nose.

Hearing audible gasps and a squeak of fear from Esposito Castle chuckled on the other end, "Don't worry there isn't a detonator attached to it, just don't put it next to an outlet." Ryan and Esposito looked like they were about to have a heart attack while Kate was just getting pissed.

"This isn't a game Castle! Someone is already dead and you running around New York is just making matters more difficult for us," Kate growled out clearly pissed that he was having fun at their expense.

"I'm well aware of how serious this is Detective, you didn't know Felicia I did," Castle said his tone adopting a softness that was regret mixed with sorrow.

"Then let us bring you in the longer you evade us the more it hurts your case. We can help you Rick, don't make us chase you," Beckett did not plead, ever. With Castle however she had no choice. Kate did not want to see him going down for something that he did out of his strong sense of nobility.

"So you can throw me back into a cell until my trial? I don't think that would be such a good idea Detective. If you want to help me do what you do best, try and find Felicia's _real _killer. I'll keep in touch," and with that they all heard the click signaling that Castle had hung up.

Letting out a growl of frustration it took all she had not to throw the phone against the wall. Even when he wasn't around Castle was the most infuriating man she had ever met, but still a large part of her was glad to know that he was safe. The way he had brushed off her attempts at an apology, and how he refused to listen just ticked her off.

Putting her hands on the table Kate took a few deep breaths to steady herself before addressing Ryan and Esposito, "Ryan go question the manager again, if Castle really had told him to let us in he may know something else. Esposito, you and I are going to go through this room and find anything that could possibly be a clue. Just don't touch anything, I don't want to blow up."

Kate wasn't going to let Castle go this alone no matter how much he may want to. Vowing that she would find him before this was over she went back to searching the room after bagging the burn phone. Somewhere there was a piece of evidence they were missing and Kate just feel that it was going to come to light soon.

**(BREAK)**

Castle hung up the phone and pulled the battery out. Now that he had called the disposable he had left Beckett this one was all but useless and destined for the closest mail box. Hearing a knock on the door Castle grabbed his silenced Sig-Sauer before checking the peep hole. Recognizing the person on the other side he opened the door.

Letting Powell, who was in a dark blue one piece jumpsuit, in Castle asked, "Did you get it all?"

Giving Castle a smirk as if he was insulted Powell said, "Come Richard did you really expect anything less?"

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	9. Ringing

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Over twenty reviews for my last chapter alone wow that is absolutely awesome guys! I will be warning everyone I doubt I will update over the weekend because of the holidays, but I have next chapter already mapped out so it shouldn't take long when I do write it. All of your reviews have been so great and I encourage you all to keep writing them because I love the feedback! This chapter brings to light what Powell was doing in the 12th and I hope all of you will greatly enjoy the unique way Castle stays involved with the case. As always all comments, critcism, questions, or corrections I am more than happy to hear so shoot them at me and I will answer back where appropriate. This chapter is a little on the light side word count wise, but I will try and beef up 10 since its my first chapter 10 of a story ever, and because you guys have been so awesome with the reviews. Enjoy!

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Chapter 9: Ringing

Caine Powell was Castle's go to man for anything theft related. However, until recently that had only included advice and facts for the occasional book scenario. So when he had called Powell asking him to acquire some items from the 12th, as well as leave behind a few other items of choice, Powell had been very intrigued. All Castle really had to do was give a brief outline of what he had wanted and why, and Powell had been onboard right away. Besides he always said "He wanted to walk into the belly of the beast."

Sitting down at a table Powell unzipped the front of his jumpsuit and pulled out a file placing it in front of Castle. Reaching for it Castle opened it and quickly began to scan its contents.

Castle had asked Powell to acquire copies of all of the evidence Beckett and the boys had acquired pertaining to Felicia Monroe's murder. From the looks of it Powell had not only done that, but also managed to get the autopsy report and the x-rays right from under Lanie's nose.

"You have any trouble getting anything?" he asked wanting to double check that everything that he had listed was included.

"Not even a curious glance. I must say Richard that while the art is becoming more of young man's game there are certain perks to being my age. For example no one looks twice at an older man dressed as a janitor, sometimes stereotypes are a wonderful thing. Not to mention being a janitor gives you a perfectly acceptable excuse to wear gloves in public without suspicion," Powell said while gesturing down to the dark blue janitor jumpsuit he was currently wearing.

Letting out a snort of laughter Richard couldn't help but be amused. Leave it to Powell to stroll right through the halls of the 12th dressed as a janitor while taking everything he needed. Man Lanie was going to be pissed when she couldn't find her x-rays.

"And the items I asked you to leave?" Rick asked looking back at Powell.

"Safely nestled exactly where you asked with none the wiser. Your information on the placement of security cameras and how to access their servers was impeccable. Anymore information and you would have taken all of the fun out of the job," Powell said with a smile on his face still remembering his trip into and back out of the station.

Reaching into the duffle bag at his feet Castle took out a bundle of cash and slid it over to Powell. "Here you go payment for a job well done."

Powell looked quickly down at the cash before grabbing it and pulling two one hundred dollar bills out of the stack before sliding the rest back. "No need for payment among friends, besides you helped make a long time dream a reality today. I'll just take this little bit to reimburse the cost of this uniform and we'll call it even," Powell said while making the money seemingly disappear somewhere on his person.

Getting up Powell reached over to shake Castle's hand while giving his farewell, "If you need me again Richard don't hesitate to call, for now I think I'm going to disappear awhile. Just incase whatever you're caught up in comes my way."

"You've always been on the top of my list old friend. I'll give you a call when this is all sorted out to, till then," Castle said while shaking his hand.

After Powell was out the door Castle put the folder in his bag and sat down to wait. This place was burnt. Not because he didn't trust Powell, but because his training had instilled in him that the only safe place is a place where no one knows where you are, no matter how trusted the contact. After a few minutes went by Castle stood up and walked out the door. His first priority was to get to another safe location. From there he could take a closer look at what Powell had brought him after he got a night's sleep.

**(BREAK)**

Lanie was pissed. Yesterday had been bad enough with her being called to a crime scene only to find out Castle had been the primary suspect. She hadn't gotten more than a glimpse at him before she had immediately set about examining the body they had. Sure she had been pissed at Castle for leaving Kate like that, but she was going to do her best to find evidence that he wasn't guilty. Then she planned on having a nice long chat with him about how much of an idiot he exactly was.

Then IA got involved and not even ten minutes into her autopsy an agent had come in questioning her professional integrity, and accusing her of being an accessory to murder. Apparently that department had already decided Castle was guilty and were fishing for accomplices who were on the NYPD payroll. Needless to say she had sent that moron packing with two ringing ears. After accusing her he deserved a quick kick right to the ass.

Fast forward from there she had just finished her autopsy when the alarm had gone off and not even seconds later Kate was calling her. Hearing Esposito and Ryan were down she had hurried to them in panic, only to find Javier with a bruised throat and Kevin with a goose egg on his forehead lucky to have avoided a concussion. Castle had apparently kicked the tar out of the two and when they were discussing it a CIA agent had come and told them Castle was this super secret spy who was a killing machine and responsible for ending the Soviet Union. Ok maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but it was close.

Now, the very next day, she had come into autopsy hoping to go back over all of her findings of Felicia Monroe's autopsy when all of her x-rays were missing. Every single x-ray she had taken apparently decided to get up and walk away from her causing her to spend thirty minutes of her morning searching for them before decided to just retake them all. All of this had caused Lanie to be incredibly pissed at everything and everyone that she had come across.

Finally just as she was in the middle of taking some time to enjoy her first cup of coffee in the morning her phone blared out obnoxiously loud. Cussing up a storm Lanie marched towards her desk. If IA or another rookie detective was on the other end Lanie was going to go postal.

Snatching up the phone she yelled into the receiver. "What!"

Her anger quickly evaporated when she heard the dial tone on the other end signaling that _this _particular phone was not the one receiving the call. Anger had now turned into full blown confusion as the ringing kept emanating from the desk. Lanie's own cell phone was in her bag in her locker with her street clothes, so what the hell was ringing? Opening up her desk drawer Lanie saw the source of the noise, a cheap pre pay cell phone.

Tentatively picking it up, the phone shrieking to be answered the entire time, Lanie slowly looked at it before flipping it open and hitting answer.

"Hello?" she asked completely unnerved at the fact that not only was a cell phone in her desk drawer, but also that someone was calling it.

"Lanie it's about time! I swear if you made me wait much longer I would have thought that you had gone deaf," a jovial voice exclaimed on the other end.

"Castle?"

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	10. COD

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: I'm trying to finish this story before ruins the unknown of the first episode. That being said HOLY CRAP 142 reviews is amazing thanks so much for each and everyone one of them! The idea for part of this chapter came from an episode of NCIS and my own personal research, but even though it was borrowed I think it fits in rather nicely with the story, especially with the background I established for Castle. So I said this would be a longer chapter, and it is even though it is not my longest. But I figured since I took the weekend off I should shoot something out to you guys quickly so you wouldn't all go into withdrawal. As always questions, comments, criticisms, or whatever include in a review and I'll get bacl to you if I can. Until then enjoy!

P.S. For those reading my BM/WW story I just got the next chapter back from my beta and am revising it so that should be in a couple of days hopefully.

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Chapter 10: COD

"Castle?"

"Dr. Parish it's always a pleasure. How are you doing this fine morning?" Castle replied

Lanie was stunned. How in the hell was Castle talking to her? Here Lanie was sitting on a pre paid cell phone that had been left in her desk talking to Richard Castle ex-CIA and current man on the run. How was this happening?

"Lanie are you still there?" Castle questioned since he hadn't heard a word from her since she said his name.

"Castle… how the hell, no wait, why the hell are you calling me?" she exclaimed still trying to figure the entire situation out.

"Well I think I found something, and while breaking in and borrowing your x-rays is one thing, taking an entire cadaver is a little bit too difficult," Castle said with an edge of excitement and teasing in his voice.

Lanie was naturally inquisitive, which was what made her such a great Medical Examiner, so Castle saying he found something sparked her interest immediately… wait a minute.

"Castle YOU'RE the one who stole my x-rays!" she all but screamed into the phone finally able to express her outrage at the source or her frustrating morning. "What made you think that you could just waltz into my morgue and take my things and get away with it!"

Castle was cringing so hard at Lanie's tone on the other end that she could practically hear it. His next statement didn't help him either, "Well probably because I did get away with it."

"GET AWAY WITH IT! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH IT!" Lanie had upgraded to full blown screaming into the phone at Castle. Castle was quickly learning how personal Lanie took someone taking anything from her morgue, especially x-ray film, without her permission.

"Lanie please I don't have time for you to chew my head off right now, how about we save it for when this is all over. I need you to look at something for me to see if my suspicion is correct, can you do that?" Castle asked while trying to put off the tongue lashing that he knew he was going to receive eventually.

"Fine, but we are not done with this conversation1" Lanie said giving a huff at being cut off before she really got a chance to lay into him.

"Thank you. Now I need you to look at the x-ray of the victim's right shoulder and tell me what you see," Castle said leaving Lanie slightly clueless as to what he was getting out.

Humoring Castle Lanie found the correct film and put it up on the light board to take another look at Ms. Monroe's right shoulder. Looking at it closely she saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Castle all I'm looking at is a perfectly fine shoulder with zero signs of trauma or fractures and no deformities of any kind. I shouldn't even be saying this to you, but other than the gunshot wound we have nothing to go on."

"I know that Lanie I've seen your write up. Now take a closer look near the shoulder blade and tell me what you see," Castle instructed brushing off her statement which surprised Lanie. What did he mean when he said he saw the write up, those files where up in homicide.

Now truly curious she inspected the area closer giving it a thorough scan before relaying her findings to Castle. "There is nothing there Castle, the most interesting thing is a slight imperfection in the film but that's about it."

"Lanie, that imperfection, it's on the one I'm looking at to," Castle said letting the statement sink it.

Realizing what he had just said it took her only about half a second before understanding. Imperfections in films occurred sometimes during x-rays, but for the exact same imperfection to be two different films meant that it wasn't an imprecation at all. Something was in the victim's shoulder.

Taking a closer look at the film Lanie became engrossed in that single small dot. Now that she was examining it she noticed that it was a perfect circle dimensionally. She had to cut it out and see what it was for herself.

Putting Castle on speaker phone she put him on the table next to Ms. Monroe's body. Examining the shoulder area she saw a tiny red dot that was in the same area as the dot in the film. Taking a scalpel and a pair of tweezers she carefully cut through the skin and slowly reached in and grabbed the object. Withdrawing it she saw that in her tweezers she held a tiny metal ball.

Pulling over the magnifier attached to the table she held it under to get a closer look. "What did you find," Castle asked, his voice reverberating off all the metal in the morgue.

Looking at it closely she took a second before answering. "It looks like a small metal bowling ball with a couple of holes in it. I've never seen anything like this."

Castle released a resigned sigh, as if the news just confirmed something he hoped against. "Thanks Lanie you've been a big help."

"Wait what the heck is this thing?" Lanie quickly asked. A dial tone coming from the cell phone was her only response.

Miffed that Castle had hung up on her so abruptly, and especially without giving her answers, Lanie gave a huff before taking the metal ball to her desk. First thing she had to do was test it and see what she could find, then she had to figure out what exactly it was. Maybe Perlmutter would have an idea of what she was looking at. Excited that she had something to finally do Lanie set to work.

**(BREAK)**

Beckett and the boys were at a dead end, again. Castle's little cache of money, guns, and ammo hadn't turned up a single clue. They had no idea what he had taken, other than it involved a weapon of some make and model. Seeing so much cash made her fairly certain that what they found was just the amount he left behind, so it looked like tracking his financial activity was out the window. Kate wasn't even going to comment on the C4 which frankly scared her to no end, especially after her last experience with a bomb and her apartment. The most revealing thing about the entire place was the phone call they had received.

Castle's call had only left Kate more confused and aggravated with the entire situation. From the very beginning of the call she had been off balance and because of that her anger got the best of her. Snapping at him closed the door on her convincing him that she really did think he was innocent from the moment she saw him. From that point on the conversation had just gotten worse with him even refusing to offer them even the slightest clue of how to help him. The only positive note of the entire conversation was that he had sounded fine and he had said he would keep in touch.

So that left her sitting in front of her murder board, which featured Castle way to much for her liking, trying to will answers out of it. Hearing the familiar click clack of Lanie's heels Kate just prayed that she had something. Turning she was surprised to see a clearly determined, agitated, and no nonsense Lanie approaching them at a pace that dared someone to get in her way and be run down.

Stepping next to Kate exclaimed in excitement, "I found cause of death."

Esposito, stepping up next to Lanie, said what they were all thinking, "Ya Lanie we know, a gun shot wound to the chest. You discovered COD hours after we found the Vic."

Without even looking at him Lanie backhanded him in the chest, finally making good on one of her threats to smack someone, before clarifying, "If you would stop being such a wise guy and let me finish what I mean is I found what was killing her, and not what killed her."

Seeing the confused looks on the three detectives, Lanie huffed as if she was dealing with children before elaborating. "The gunshot wound killed her, but what I just figured out was that she was dying before she was even shot. A couple of hours ago when I was talking to Castle…"

At this point her story was drowned out in the ensuing "What!" that the three detectives let out simultaneously. "You talked to Castle, today?" Kate questioned.

Nodding her head Lanie answered, "Ya a couple of hours ago on the cell phone he left in my desk, talk about creepy. Anyway he clued me in on something I overlooked in the x-rays of the victim."

Beckett raised a hand at this point cutting Lanie off. "Castle noticed something you overlooked on the x-rays? Lanie he was booked before you took those x-rays, he doesn't have access to them."

"I was getting to that, jeez girl let me finish. Apparently Castle swiped my original x-rays at some point and he noticed a dot on it that I thought was just an imperfection. Instead it turned out there was something lodged in her shoulder, and this something is a real doozy," Lanie explained.

Opening the folder in her hands Lanie took out a photo and pinned it to the murder board. Studying the picture Beckett saw a small metal ball. "What the heck is that?" Kate asked.

"That's what I asked when I found it but Castle hung up after I gave him a description of it and never answered. I still don't know what this thing is or where it came from, but I did some tests and inside I found traces of ricin. Ricin is a powerful toxin that can kill in extremely small amounts. This pellet probably contained more than the two milligrams needed to kill our victim, which is too small of an amount for the tox screen to flag," Lanie said

"Well then why shoot her after you poison her? That just doesn't make sense." Ryan asked.

"Well that's the thing about ricin it doesn't kill you right away. Injection of something this small would feel like a small pin prick, and you wouldn't even start to feel the symptoms for hours to a day afterwards. From that point on you have a few days to live before your organs start to shut down because they can no longer synthesize proteins," Lanie explained.

Nodding her head Kate turned to address Ryan and Esposito, "Find out how Castle got in and got his hands on those x-rays. We need to know exactly how much of our information he got his hands on, and how he got his hands on it. Then we need a lead on who makes these pellets and who uses them." With that they set to work trying desperately to find some answers.

**(BREAK)**

"What do you got?" Beckett asked about an hour later, hoping that her two detectives hadn't run into as many dead ends as she had trying to discover the origin of that pellet.

"Someone used Esposito's name and password in archives to print off everything we have about the case while we were searching Castles storage unit. I sent the keyboard and phone to forensics. The phone came up clean and with the amount of people who use the archives computer it doesn't look hopeful," Ryan said.

"I checked the security cameras in the morgue," Esposito started, "Got the image of the back of a janitor swiping the files from the room, but he never turned towards the camera. I found him on a couple of other cameras as well, but he never turns to face them directly keeping his head down. I checked and all the janitors who were on duty were accounted for by witnesses somewhere else. Sorry bro, but he was wearing gloves so if this is the same guy that keyboard is going to come up empty." Esposito addressed the last part towards Ryan.

"And I got nothing on the pellet Lanie pulled from the victim. How can so many things happen without any shred of useful evidence," Kate said letting out a groan and dropping her head into her hands.

Just as she was internally beating herself up Kate's phone rang. "Beckett," she answered.

"Kate, Perlmutter just came in and I showed him the pictures of our pellet hoping that he would know what it was. I have some good news and some bad news though," Lanie's voice chimed from the other end.

"Lanie anything you got good or bad is better than we got," Kate said perking up at the prospect of good news.

"Good news is that he knows what it is, but that's also the bad news."

"Lanie," Kate snapped her patience running thin.

Taking a breath Lanie finished, "Perlmutter says that the pellet is actually a small ball bearing and is used as a means of assassination, particularly by one organization."

"That gives me the what Lanie, I need the who," Beckett prompted.

Taking another deep breath Lanie said in a slightly shaky voice, "The organization that uses… Kate he said it's the KGB."

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	11. Coercion

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Reviews are still incredible thank you all so much for your kind words. I must say I haven't read a single bad review and the thought of that blows me away. This chapter has a bit more action in and mentions some real places and events. Brighton Beach really is an ethic neighborhood in New York, at least according to google. I also mention a story in the news about certain Russian spies that took place awhile back. The reference is small but just google it if you want to know more because the US did find 10 Russian spies recently. This chapter has a bit more action in it and Castle does something that may seem a bit out of character, but I think I bring him back pretty well. Very little of Beckett but the cliff hanger for this chapter is going to make you all hate me. As always feel free to comment, criticise, question, or even offer suggestions in reviews and I will respond where appropriate. Anways without further nonsense on my part enjoy!

P.S. Forgot to mention but Italicized parts mean that the characters are speaking Russian

* * *

Chapter 11: Coercion

Brighton Beach New York was where the largest concentration of Russians lived in New York. It also happened to be where the leader of the Russian mob had his headquarters. Everyone in law enforcement knew that Sergei Sokolov kept a finger on the pulse of all imports from Russia, and the talk about him at the 12th never went unnoticed by Castle. What the organized crime division at the 12th did not know was that Sergei himself was former KGB and still had ties with the Russian Security Services, which was the official name of the KGB after the Soviet collapse. However, Sergei had chosen the life of a mob boss for a reason and his loyalties were not nearly as strong as they used to be.

That lack of loyalty was why Castle was standing in a dark alley late at night. Getting information about a Russian spy from any official channels would not only be stupid, but useless as well. If the CIA or FBI knew who or where a spy was they would have already gotten them themselves. Because of that Castle had to resort to getting information from someone a bit more homegrown.

Going in and trying to negotiate or even buy off Sergei was out of the question. Sokolov didn't know him, and was more likely to put a bullet in his head than rat out a former colleague to a stranger. That left Castle with option number two, coercion.

Looking up Castle saw Sokolov, in an immaculate white suit, and his two bodyguards leave the small restaurant and head his way. Castle had followed them earlier in the day and when they had parked and walked through the very alley he stood in to go to dinner a plan formed in his head. While most New Yorkers would avoid alleys late at night, for the specific reason of them being unsafe, people like Sergei had no such inclination. Monsters didn't fear the dark because there was nothing more dangerous then them in it. What this particular monster didn't know was that tonight there was a reason to be afraid.

Standing in the shadows Castle waited until the trio of mobsters passed him before making his move. Sliding the safety off of his silenced Sig Sauer Castle stepped behind the trio and fired twice, putting a round into a leg of each bodyguard.

Releasing shouts of pain the two bodyguards crumpled to the ground, each clutching their wounded leg. Sergei hearing the sound whirled around only to stare down the barrel of Castle's gun.

"_Long time no see Sokolov. I recommend that your men slide their weapons towards me if you intend to walk out of this alley tonight_," Castle said in Russian.

"_Quickly you two, do as he says_," Sergei instructed holding his hands out wide caring more about his own safety than of his two wounded bodyguards.

Slowly, mainly because they were quickly going into shock over their sudden gunshot wounds, the two bodyguards took their guns out of their shoulder holsters and slid them towards Castle's feet.

"_Who are you_?" Sergei asked.

"_You do not remember your old friend, such a pity. I need information Sergei, information concerning the Russian KGB agent that has recently come to New York. Do not lie to me, your suit is far too expensive to be stained with your own blood_," Castle said simultaneously questioning, threatening, and skirting Sokolov's own question.

Looking at his two bodyguards that were trying to stem the flow of blood from their legs Serge didn't take any chances. "_I do not know who you are talking about. Russia pulled out all of their agents after the US caught those ten fools earlier this year_," Sergei confessed.

"_Then you must remember harder Sergei because I know one is here and I know that you would have heard of this person. My patience is not infinite comrade, and as much as it would pain me I will put a bullet in you_," Castle threatened slowly aiming the gun down to Sokolov's knee.

Panicking slightly at the possibility of having his kneecap literally blown off Sergei became frantic in his desire to answer, "_Wait! There was a boat that came four days ago. I received a call and payment to turn a blind eye at the docks. My men said that the contact spoke Russian. We did not ask any questions I swear_."

"_I need the name and the dock for that boat Sergei_," Castle commanded.

"_I don't know something in Arabic it's at pier sixteen dock number eleven. My men had to match the name with something they wrote on a piece of paper. It means something involving God or something_," Sergei said beginning to sweat.

"_That was not too hard. Stay away from my business Sergei or next time our next discussion will begin and end with a bullet to your head_," Castle said while walking backwards and sliding into the shadows and out of the alley.

Walking away from the alley Castle had to stamp down a feeling of nausea in his stomach. It had been well over a decade since he had shot anyone and the feeling of wanting to vomit had always been in his stomach as soon as it was all over. Rick had to keep reminding himself that what he was doing was for his family and for Felicia, her killer could not just walk free. Instead of dwelling on it he cleared his mind and thought about the conversation he just had.

Rick had intentionally dropped hints at being a former acquaintance of Sergei, even using an accent that made him sound native to Moscow. By acting as if he already knew him Sergei would think back to enemies he had made in the past instead of looking to closely in other places. That combined with the shadows of the alley and his altered appearance made Castle certain that his real identity was in no way compromised. Not to mention that the ruse had thrown Sergei off balance and made him say more than he normally would.

Sokolov probably thought he didn't reveal much, but what he did have was more than Castle had hoped for. Not only had he confessed that the Russian government was most likely not involved, but he had also confirmed that this entire thing did involve the operation he had pulled off with Felicia. A container ship with an Arabic name was just too much of a coincidence.

The arrival of the ship, the Arabic name, and the fact that a Russian speaking man, who none of Sergei's men knew, had paid them to turn a blind eye made Castle believe that this was all connected to Felicia's murder. Now all Castle had to do was head to the docks and check out a that ship.

**(BREAK)**

"Yo Beckett we got a hit!" Esposito shouted from across the squad room as Kate exited the break room with a cup of coffee. Ever since Castle's arrest Kate had gone to get coffee when she needed to think, for some reason it made her feel closer to him.

"Me and Ryan went through the records of the Russian owned docks for the past week looking for a connection. We figured since this involves the KGB that the mob may have some part in it. Turns out a ship from the Middle East docked four days ago and they kept it real quiet," Javier said

Hearing the news Beckett felt a smile forming on her face. "Well boys it looks like were going to the docks."

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	12. Docks

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: As always thanks for the incredible reviews they really mean a lot and make me want to finish this quickly so I don't leave you guys/gals in the dark to long. A little bit longer of a chapter than normal so with lots of action so I am sure that everyone is going to like it. For everyone wondering Caskett will be coming in later chapters I know I haven't really shown a lot but its coming. I jumped around viewpoints in the chapter quite a bit, but I think everyone is going to really like it. Another addition I added here was some of Kate's quicky brilliance because frankly I had her and the 12th look a little slow. I don't want to write Castle as a superman while the detectives are just a bunch of bumbling fools, so I think I took care of that nicely. This hasn't been betaed so I'm not sure if there is mistakes and if that turns out to be the case let me know. As always questions, comments, criticism, or even your own ideas are more than welcome. Who knows if you give me an idea I like I may very well use it if it fits. Now enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12: Docks

Sergei's information on where Castle could find the container ship had been correct. The اقیانوس شکوه, or "Ocean's Splendor" was moored at pier sixteen, dock eleven. Sneaking into the dockyard late at night wasn't a particularly difficult task, especially when the Russian guards were overly lax in their security. Many criminal organizations operated like that, overconfident that people were afraid of them and that caused them to be prone to laziness.

Frequently spaced containers on the dock made for great cover as Castle slowly, but methodically, slipped towards the mooring line that was connected to the rear of the ship. Coming to the end of his row of containers Castle realized that the last 50ft to the mooring line was open ground, just perfect. Cursing under his breath he slowly lowered himself to the ground until he was lying flat on his stomach and began to inch forward across the ground.

Crossing open ground was always the most dangerous aspect of stealth and that difficulty was only compounded when the surface was man made. In movies the action heroes would just quickly sprint to their destination, but real life was a stunning contrast. Guards were stationed to be on the lookout for people like him, and no matter how incompetent they may be they still had eyes. Add the fact that quick jerky movements where the first thing a person recognized made running just plain dumb.

Thankfully only the boarding ramp itself was illuminated which meant Castle had the time to make his way to the mooring line using stealth. Slowly, inch by patient inch, he crawled towards his goal. Combining his slow movement, dark clothing, and the black grease he had smeared onto his face earlier, anyone looking in his direction would pass their gaze right over him.

His speed meant that it took minutes to cover the 50ft to the mooring line, but eventually he reached it. Reaching the line Castle slowly wound his arms and legs around it and began to pull hand over hand sliding his body towards the ship. Because of the size of the ship the rope was extremely taut so he had no fear of making it sway and drawing the attention of a guard. Sliding up the rope to the ship was much faster and it only took about a minute before he was at the edge of the ship and slipping onto the deck.

Castle's first stop was to find the cargo manifest and passenger log. That meant he had to get to the bridge where those documents where kept. If he found anything of interest he could go from there to look for clues. Just as he was about to enter a hatch he heard a commotion from the dock below. Not sure if what he was hearing was them catching onto him Castle slowly slid back to the railing and looked in the direction of the commotion.

Quickly finding it, he noticed there were cars parked near the gate with a group of people talking to the gatekeeper. Crap… those were police cars and if he wasn't mistaken that was Beckett, with the familiar silhouettes of Ryan and Esposito clad in vests behind her, arguing with the gatekeeper. How the hell had they found this place. Quickly he mentally went through his head to figure out if they had gotten a clue from him, but ultimately drew a blank. However they found this place they did a wonderful job of significantly shortening his window of opportunity on getting the information he needed. Stealth had just gone out the window and now had to be replaced with covert assault. Doing a quick check of his weapons Castle slowly backed away from the railing and got to work.

**(BREAK)**

"This is private property and I ask you leave," the gatekeeper said to Kate in his broken and heavily accented Russian accent.

"I have a warrant that gives us permission to search that container ship," she said holding up the warrant.

Realizing that this was over his head the guard grabbed his walkie talkie. "_Dimitri, there is a bitch of a police officer demanding to search the ship. She claims that she has a warrant and that we must let her in_."

"_I am on my way_," a voice squawked out from the other end.

"_Tell him to hurry, this bitch is getting impatient_," Kate said in flawless Russian. Seeing the sudden look of nerves on the guards face at being caught made Kate's time in Russia so much more worth it.

Eventually a burly looking man walked up and began to address Kate, "What is the meaning of this, we run a perfectly legitimate business. What right do you have to search our ships?" While his accent was almost as thick as the other mans, his grasp of English was leaps and bounds better.

"We have a warrant issued to search your ship under suspicion of the illegal transportation of an individual suspected of terrorist activities," Kate recited while unfolding the warrant and handing it to Dimitri.

Reading it over Dimitri blinked in surprise before reading it over again. Finally he looked up to address Kate, "On what grounds of suspicion can you ask for this? What is your proof?"

Giving him an evil smile Kate shot right back, "Thanks to the Patriot Act we don't need any proof." As soon as she said that she nodded to Ryan who moved into the booth and activated the controls to open the gate.

Seeing that he was powerless Dimitri quickly flipped open his phone and quickly began speaking to someone on the other end. From the bits and pieces that Kate was catching it sounded like a lawyer. Not caring about the outcome of the call Kate signaled her team forward and headed towards the container ship.

**(BREAK) **

Grabbing the back of the man's head Castle slammed it forward and down causing it to crash into a console. Feeling the man go limp into unconsciousness Castle quickly moved to the documents on the table and began scanning them. Normally he would have waited for a bathroom break or something similar before he made a move, but with Beckett on the scene time was of the essence.

Reading both the Farsi and English copies of the documents he quickly found the cargo manifest and the passenger log. Sliding his gaze down the two nothing on the cargo manifest really jumped out at him, but there was something on the passenger log that caught his eye. Twelve individuals had booked passage with the ship from the port of Rashid in Dubai and had not paid for a return trip. Quickly referencing it to the items on the manifest he noticed that the ship had also picked up a single container from that port as well.

Peeking out the window Castle saw that the gate to the docks was opening and that soon this ship was going to be crawling with uniforms. Not having the time to search both areas Castle quickly circled the container on the English copy of the manifest with a nearby pen. There was no way he would be able to search both areas with the cops here, but hopefully he could split the job with Beckett and the boys then retrieve their findings later.

Putting down the manifest he turned to leave the bridge just as a man stepped through the door. Surprise flashed across the man's face as he saw the unconscious captain and Castle standing there dressed from head to toe in black. Without even thinking he began to raise the weapon in his hand.

Acting on instinct Castle pulled his Sig Sauer and squeezed.

**(BREAK)**

Just as she was stepping through the gate Kate noticed two quick flashes light up the bridge of the container ship, followed by the crack of a gunshot. Quickly glancing at Ryan and Esposito the looks on their face confirmed that she hadn't just imagined it.

Squeezing the radio attached to her shoulder she quickly relayed to the officers on scene, "Shots fired. I repeat shots fired, appear to be coming from the bridge all units converge." Drawing her side sidearm she raced towards the boarding ramp knowing that Ryan and Esposito were only steps behind her.

**(BREAK)**

Castle's first shot hit the man in the shoulder spinning him to the side. As soon as he was hit the guard reflexively squeezed the trigger of his weapon, fortunately Castle's bullet caused the guard's own shot to end up going harmlessly wide.

Knowing that he hadn't hit the man in a lethal area Castle quickly bolted for the opposite door before the guard could regain his bearings and fire at him again. Jumping through the door Castle quickly found some stairs and descended them. Every cop was going to be heading towards the bridge, but he still had to search the crew quarters for a clue to who was after him. Now he could only thank God that he had circled the shipping container because that was bound to be where the cops would head next.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs he quickly turned the corner and headed towards the front of the ship. Not even twenty feet into the hall he saw a man's foot step out of a door. Not having time to slow down, besides there was no way the guy hadn't heard him by now, Castle sped up in order to meet the man at close range.

Once more the look of surprise was on someone's face at the sight of Castle, but this time Castle was not caught unaware. Stepping in close Castle bent his elbow and snapped his arm forward delivering a vicious forearm to the man's face. Dazed and falling back at the sudden attack Rick next slammed other fist into the falling man's diaphragm before grabbing his arm and spinning him into a wall. As the man fell, gasping for breath, Castle slipped a couple of zip ties from his pocket and quickly bound the man's hands and feet. Confident that the guard wasn't going to be a problem until someone else came along Castle moved on.

**(BREAK)**

Racing up the stairs Kate quickly made her way towards the door of the bridge. Stopping she let Esposito with his shotgun take the lead. Stacking up for a tactical breach she felt Ryan tap her on her shoulder from behind, and then she tapped Esposito in return signifying for him to enter. Quickly they entered and each took the area of the room the stack designated for them to take. Giving a shout of "clear" she heard responses of "Man down!" and "Gun!" coming from Ryan and Esposito.

Turning towards Ryan, since his was the immediate threat, she saw a Russian on the ground holding his bleeding shoulder with a rifle lying on the ground next to him. Satisfied that Ryan had everything under control Kate lowered her gun and turned away as soon as she saw him kick the gun away and reach to call for an EMT. Moving over to Esposito she saw him checking the pulse of what looked like the Captain lying in front of a console. Seeing Esposito nod his head that the captain was still alive Kate let out a sigh of relief.

Hearing the entrance of the rest of the police behind her she quickly searched for clues of where their gunman went. Noticing something on the shipping manifest she quickly scanned it. A single item was circled, a shipping container from Dubai. Motioning over some of the uniforms she quickly pointed it out to them instructing them to find it and check it out.

As soon as they were out the door she barked out her next command. "Ryan, Esposito, you two are with me."

Perking their heads up and letting the remaining uniforms in the room deal with the men on the ground they quickly came over. "Where to boss? We going to the container too?" Esposito asked shouldering his shotgun ready to move.

Shaking her head Kate picked up sheet of paper that was next to the manifest, "No we're heading to the quarters of the twelve men that got on it with."

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	13. Paths Converge

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: I cannot express how completely and utterly awesome the reviews have been. When I started this story I never expected to get more than 100 reviews, now I am close to 200 and you guys just won't stop. That is so AWESOME! Thank you to everyone all of you have been incredibly supportive and really drive me to write this story at the fast pace I do. This chapter is quite big, infact I believe it is the largest chapter I have written for this story. The cause behfind this is twofold: One I am going to Chicago on business Wednesday and won't be available for literally the entire day and I wasn't going to let everyone suffer a short chapter, and two breaking this up anywhere but where I chose to wouldn't have made sense. This chapter is absolutely action packed and I think everyone is going to really love it. Beckett has a truly awesome moment at the end that really shows some great character. As always feel free to comment, criticize, question, or give ideas through reviews. I am always thrilled to hear from all of you. Now I could go into a lot of detail, but I don't want to spoil anything. So without further delay I present the next chapter enjoy!

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Chapter 13: Paths Converge

Entering the passenger quarters Castle quickly scanned the area for any type of clue he could find. With the police most assuredly on board he had about five minutes tops before they figured out he wasn't at the container and started searching the rest of the ship in force. That assumed none of them came here first. Armed with this knowledge Castle began his methodical, but hurried search of the room.

**(BREAK)**

Navigating a ship of this size was not as easy as the three detectives thought it would be. After a few wrong turns, and only after finding a map located on a bulkhead, the trio finally began heading towards their destination with actual certainty. The entire time all three were focused on the task at hand, carefully scanning every room they passed, on the lookout for whoever shot the guard on the bridge.

Down a flight of stairs and about twenty feet into a hallway they came about their first piece of evidence that they were on the right path. Scanning a room as she passed Kate halted at the sight. Inside was another man lying on the ground hands and feet bound by plastic ties. Seeing the man subdued only added questions to Kate's mind.

Whoever has shot the bridge guard had clearly come this way, but why had he taken the time to bind this man? Shooting him as he passed would have been the easiest and fastest course of action taking only a second. Instead the gunman had physically assaulted then took the time to ensure that this man could not go running for help. Getting an uneasy feeling of who they may be tracking Kate signaled the boys to follow her and continued down the corridor.

**(BREAK)**

Searching a small locker Castle finally hit pay dirt. Nestled in the very back of the top shelf he found a coin. Turning it over in his hand he recognized it as a Rial, the official currency of Iran. An Iranian coin in the passenger quarters of a ship from the Middle East that a Russian had asked Sergei to overlook. None of these pieces of information boded well, but at least now Castle had a target, one that would be easier to find considering now he knew to look for undocumented Iranians in New York City.

Mulling it over he decided to leave the coin on the nearby table. He doubted he could get anymore information from it, and knowing Beckett she would follow the clue as relentlessly as he planned. Besides having the entirety of the NYPD's resources help search for the passengers that came over on this boat would only help him. Contemplating taking off his glove and leaving a fingerprint on the coin Rick quickly dismissing the notion. Beckett wouldn't need a fingerprint to know it was a clue; it being in plain sight was good enough.

Out of time and satisfied that he had gotten as much information as he could Castle headed back into the hall. Turning his head to make sure the coast was clear, Castle was startled at coming face to face with none other than Detective Kate Beckett.

**(BREAK)**

Kate led her team down the corridor of the ship making their way slowly but carefully towards the passenger quarters. Since the little gift wrapped guard that they had passed they had been on extra alert for whoever had left him tied up. Seeing the passenger quarters designation ahead Kate signaled the boys to follow and began creeping forward, unsure if whoever they were looking for was inside or not.

Just as she was five feet from the hatch leading into the room a man dressed completely in black stepped out. Readying her gun she was caught off guard when the man's turned his head towards them, it was Castle. His face was covered in black soot and grease, his hair was dyed a dark brown that was almost black, and his once blue eyes shone hazel. Regardless of all of that there was no way Kate didn't recognize him. Over the years she had come to work with him Kate had become so familiar with Castle that she was capable of recognizing him from a distance simply by the way he walked. That didn't even mention how many times over the summer she had pictured his face at work when she was at the whiteboard, getting coffee, or looking at his chair.

Looking him in his eyes that weren't his, Kate saw the same look of surprise that she knew was on her face. The entire silent exchange lasted a split second before they both sprang into action.

Kate raised her gun yelling "Freeze!" Castle being typical Castle still wasn't listening to what she said and launched himself backwards into the room.

Seeing him disappear she took off in pursuit with Ryan and Esposito close behind shouting out as well. Darting into the room she just had time to notice him scramble on all fours out the door that connected to a parallel corridor. Leaping over a chair that he must have knocked down Kate was hot on his heels determined that he wouldn't get away from her.

Passing through the room Kate entered the doorway only to see Castle back on his feet and sprinting towards the front of the ship. Taking off behind him she heard Esposito faintly cuss behind her as he got snagged on the upturned chair. Sprinting after Castle she shouted out again for him to stop. When the hell had he gotten so damn fast?

Chasing him down the hall Kate wasn't quite sure if she was gaining on him or not when he darted up a stairwell. Following him up the stairs Kate just caught sight of him as he darted through a door to the deck. Gritting her teeth and confident in the knowledge he was running out of room she hurried and followed him through the door. Not checking that door before she headed through ended up being a mistake.

As soon as she was through the door Castle, who was standing flat against the side of it, stuck his foot out sending her skidding to the floor. Dropping her gun she turned her fall into a tumble and rolled back to her feet about seven feet from the door. Turning she witnesses Castle disarm her two teammates.

Esposito, the next through the door after herself, tried to check Castle with his shotgun. Instead of taking the hit Castle grabbed onto the weapon and twisted one end to the floor before quickly reversing it. That sudden momentum shift, along with Castle sweeping a foot out from under Esposito, resulted in Javier doing a bizarre cartwheel that ended up with him on his back and the shotgun in Castle's hands.

Ryan hot on the heels of Esposito raised his gun to aim at Castle only to be rewarded with a shotgun thrown at his head. Ducking down to avoid the projectile weapon used, ironically, as a projectile Ryan came back to his full height to only be greeted by Castle, up close and personal. Knifing one hand to Ryan's wrist and the other to the gun Castle sent the gun flying out of Ryan's hands where it skidded across the deck. Ryan wasn't inactive during that time however. As soon as the gun was out of his hands he pushed Castle as hard as he could to clear the doorway. Esposito seeing Castle stumble backwards stuck out a hand tripping him up and sending him toppling backwards.

Kate seeing her opportunity reached for her gun that was mere feet in front of her intending to end this at gunpoint if need be. What surprised her at that point was that Castle didn't fall on his back like a normal person. Instead as his upper back hit the deck Castle used the momentum of his fall to roll backwards, throwing his legs above his head, landing on his knees, and finishing the momentum of the push to come back to his feet.

Behind him Kate had just grabbed her gun and began to stand and aim when he struck. Turning so he was half facing her, Castle's hand grabbed the top of the gun and yanked. For a second Kate felt a pull before she was released, allowing her to once again aim her weapon at him. Staring down the sights Kate realized her gun wasn't quite complete anymore. Castle's yank had pulled the slide off of her weapon, how the hell did he do that?

Realizing that her weapon was now useless Kate took a play out of Castle's book, she threw it at him. Castle not expecting her to do exactly what he had just done to Ryan barely got out of the way in time. Kate however, had never planned on hitting him only distracting him so Ryan and Esposito could get back in position. Her plan worked to a charm and now Castle encircled by the three of them on their feet and ready.

Realizing what had just happened Castle crouched ready to defend himself. As she was plotting the best way to attack him, Kate saw Castle's hand subtly slide to the hilt of a knife. Her heart raced at the thought of Castle with a knife in his hands. Many people didn't know it but there was a reason that officers shot assailants who had knives, they could be far deadlier than a bullet if used properly. Bouncing his thumb on the hilt Kate saw his eyes flicker to where his hand was before he recoiled, almost as if he was burnt. Feeling a knot untie in her stomach Kate realized that his hand had gone there more out of instinct than anything else.

"Give it up Castle you've got nowhere to go," Kate said hoping that she could talk him down before this got physical.

"Oh I always have somewhere to go Detective you should know that by now," he shot back, a smirk forming on his face.

"This won't end pretty Castle just let us take you in," Esposito said while Ryan grabbed the cuffs from his belt.

IDIOTS! Kate thought shooting them a glare that should have knocked them both off their feet. Pulling cuffs out and making Castle think they were going to arrest him again was the last thing she wanted to do. Quickly looking back at Castle she noticed him stiffen when he caught sight of Ryan's handcuffs. Any chance they had of bringing him in peacefully just went out the door.

"Oh detectives you wound me. What would make you think…" and breaking off in mid-sentence Castle went into action.

Launching himself at Ryan he threw a right jab right at his face. Moving to defend himself, Ryan didn't realize he played right into Castle's hand. Opening his hand before impact, Castle turned his jab into a grab. Latching onto the wrist holding the cuffs, Castle twisted while stepping in and hitting Ryan with a knee as well. With pain in his wrist Kevin instinctively dropped his cuffs into Castle's waiting hand.

Kate and Esposito had reacted the minute Castle had, rushing after him to the aid of Ryan. Before she got to him Castle head butted Ryan just as he was winding up a right hook aimed at Castle's face. Twisting downwards with Kevin's wrist Castle put it between his legs before grabbing it from behind Ryan and pulled. This caused Ryan to literally flip head over heels and land solidly on his back. Esposito at that point got right up to Castle and lashed out with his right foot towards Rick's head. Rick who was crouching, with Ryan's wrist still in his hand, twisted upside down and under Esposito's flying limb. Castle had just managed to grasp onto it when Kate barreled into the struggling men.

Upon impact the group turned into a mess of limbs that elbowed, kneed, and generally caused mayhem amongst one another. Each detective was trying to get a hold of Castle, but for some reason Ryan or Esposito kept getting in the way. Eventually Castle and Beckett rolled out of the pile almost simultaneously and squared off across from one another. Wondering what was taking Ryan and Esposito so long to get up, especially after such a disgusting display of ground work, she looked down.

Apparently, sometime when Castle grabbed Esposito's foot he had managed to handcuff his ankle to Ryan's wrist. Now whenever one tried to get up they inevitably dragged the other back down. Flicking her gaze back to Rick she saw him dart towards her. Deciding she was going to give as good as she got Kate rushed to meet him.

Meeting in the middle the two collided with Castle's greater weight causing him to drive Kate backwards. Grappling Castle began to throw knees to Kate's midsection as she threw her forearm at his head repeatedly. Dear God did the man hit hard. Without her bulletproof vest Kate was sure the wind would have been knocked out of her with the first blow, as it stood she knew she was going to be feeling them tomorrow.

Realizing her hits to his unprotected head would eventually do more damage than his knees to her vest clad stomach Castle tightened his grip and simply flung her to the side. Feeling the sensation of weightlessness for a second, Kate collided into the side of a nearby container with an audible grunt. Keeping her feet she sprung back at Castle. Throwing a combination of kicks and punches Castle kept his defenses up blocking with his forearms and shins. Kate was determined to win and bring Castle back with her. She had to admit though; she hadn't had this much fun sparing since she first learned how.

**(BREAK)**

Kate Beckett was in an entirely different class than Ryan and Esposito Castle decided right away. Hell he had fought Special Forces who weren't half as trained or tenacious as she was. Never did he imagine that she would rebound off that container so quickly. Still while she was good Castle knew that he was still better. However, it didn't help that half of his repertoire had to be kept in check so he didn't maim or outright kill her. That was the major difference between him and Beckett. Kate was trained to subdue a suspect, Rick had been trained to kill and incapacitate as quickly as possible.

Seeing Kate swing a right hook at him Castle stepped into the blow while hooking his arms under her armpits. Having complete leverage over her smaller frame he picked her up and drove her into the railing of the ship. Hearing her grunt he looked down and his breath caught.

Staring up at him was Kate Beckett to no surprise, but what was so surprising was the look in her eyes. While he could see anger and determination dancing behind her green orbs, there was also a touch of enjoyment. Was Kate Beckett enjoying this? His thoughts were cut short as she kneed him in the groin causing his knees to buckle slightly and her feet to come back on the ground. Feeling her grab the back of his head and force it down with both of her hands, he barely got his hands up to block the knees she tried sending into his lowered chin, all the while ignoring the urge to vomit.

Pulling back slightly bringing her slightly from the edge he rushed forward again causing her back to crash into the railing again. Sweeping his hands up and out he broke her grip on his head and trapped her hands to his side, dwarfing her frame. Before he could respond he saw fear in her eyes as she caught a glimpse of something behind him.

**(BREAK) **

Kate was happy with how she had broken from his hold and really thought she could land a knee to his chin and knock him out. Castle's ensuing counter was flawless and when he trapped her hands to his side she knew that the next move had to be his.

Catching a glimpse around his side that thought changed completely as she saw an officer come up behind and draw a bead on Castle with his sidearm. Fear raced through her veins at the realization that Castle wasn't wearing a vest. Seeing Esposito raise a hand towards the cop to stop him she didn't wait, she acted.

**(BREAK)**

Seeing the fear was for something else Castle began to turn to see what was behind him. Apparently that was the opening Kate was looking forward. Using his already turning body she spun him around reversing their positions as a loud *CRACK* sounded in the air. Looking over her with his back to the railing, he saw the smoking gun from an officer just as he felt Beckett jolt towards him. The impact of the blast forced Kate towards him faster than he could compensate and sent both of them tumbling over the edge of the railing. Castle's world turned upside down and the next thing he knew the black inky water of the river was rushing up to meet them. Holding onto Kate he braced himself for the impact of the water.

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	14. Breathe

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Over 200 reviews = WOW. I never thought I would get that high and I am absolutely astounded at the level of support you are all showing for this story. Because of this I got this together as soon as I could after my trip. I still have hopes of maybe finishing this before Monday premiere, but it may come down to the wire if I get it off. This chapter isn't as long as my last chapter, but the next one will be up quick and I really think everyone will enjoy this. The perspective is entirely Beckett in this one. I labeled this as romance and this chapter verifies it. HUGE thanks to everyone who reads and reviews once again. For all the anonymous reviewers I want to thank you all here since I can't respond since you don't have accounts, but thanks a ton for the support. As always feel free to comment, criticism, suggest, or question anything in the below chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 14: Breathe

Kate felt the bullet hit her square in the back with the force of a wrecking ball. After being hit, her next few seconds where an absolute blur as the air was rushed from her lungs and her diaphragm became shocked into stillness. Faintly she felt herself moving forward along with the feeling of her feet leaving the deck. All of this was processed in the back of her mind while Kate's entire focus was on struggling to breathe now that she was suddenly bereft of oxygen.

It wasn't until she hit the freezing water that her diaphragm jolted back into action as she opened her mouth to try and suck in much needed oxygen. Realizing that she would drown if she tried to breathe Kate forced her mouth closed. Breathless and now submerged, Kate felt the strong pull of the current sweeping her along with it as she struggled to surface. For some reason she felt like something was holding her down.

Thrashing to try and break loose Kate was starting to panic as her lungs felt about to burst from lack of air. Her mind was beginning to grow fuzzy and she realized she didn't even know which way was up, just that she needed to try. Suddenly, the twisted mess that was keeping her from moving released her, and two strong hands found purchase on each side of her face. Vaguely aware of what was going on, and no longer struggling because she lacked the strength, Kate felt something press to her lips.

In that next moment her hopelessness and fear evaporated as blessed air was pumped into her lungs. Slowly, gaining focus as her brain received much needed oxygen Kate became aware that it was a pair of lips pressed to hers and that they belonged to none other than Richard Castle. Air wasn't the only thing on her mind as the realization of the intimate position the two of them were in caused of jolt of pleasure to race down her spine. Without giving it a second thought Kate began to move her lips against his, only to feel Castle stiffen at her sudden action before finally beginning to respond. The entire world surrounding her seemed to fade away as her mind solely concentrated on the feel of his mouth against hers.

Feeling him pull away Kate was disappointed, and suddenly a bit mortified at what she had just done. She and Castle were somewhere underwater in the Hudson River, and while he was saving her life she had almost slipped him the tongue. Feeling his hands return to her shoulders she felt him slowly begin to turn them upside down and kick to move them.

Seeing the water begin to brighten Kate realized he was taking her to the surface. Feeling a sense relief she was incredibly grateful that Castle was with her. In her panic earlier she wouldn't have realized she had entered the water head first and would have swam downward instead of up in her confusion, making drowning a certainty.

Breaking the surface Kate took a huge gasp of much needed air while listening as Castle did the same next to her. Turning her head to get her bearings she looked to see the container ship they had just been on be a couple hundred yards away. Blinking in surprise she wasn't sure if it was the current that had pulled them away so fast, or it was the amount of time as she had spent lost under the water with Castle. Either way her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Castle tug her arm to face him.

"Kate we have to get to the surface, it will be faster if we stay underwater and let the current help us. Hold your breath and hang on to me," he instructed her while grasping her hands in his.

Kate was a little confused by his suggestion, but since she felt herself already starting to shiver she was willing to follow his suggestion if it meant getting them out of the water quicker. Taking another deep breath she followed him under, never letting go of his warm hands the entire time. Again and again this they did, until finally they were only a short distance from the shore.

Stumbling up on to some sand beneath a pier Beckett was absolutely freezing, she was also incredibly grateful to be back on dry land. Turning her head she looked for the container ship only to see that it wasn't anywhere in sight. The two of them must have traveled a mile or so along the shore before coming to land. Thinking of this, and of their repeated submerging Castle's explanation just made a whole lot more sense.

Turning to see Castle getting out of the water she turned around and pushed him, sending him falling back onto his ass. Letting out a shriek of surprise he looked up at her asking, "What was that for?"

"That was for making up some bull excuse to get me to go along with your escape plan. No wonder you wanted us underwater, that way a helicopter wouldn't be able to see us when it searched the river. I can't believe I was dumb enough to go along with it," Kate ranted furious that she had fallen for such a dumb excuse. Let the river carry them to shore, how absurd.

Grinning back up at her he slowly got back onto his feet. "Well it worked didn't it? Besides I think your mind was a bit to preoccupied with something else to really think about my reasoning," Castle said flashing her a flirty grin.

Embarrassment flooded through her at the mention of their underwater make out session. It was bad enough that he had saved her life by keeping her from drowning, and that was made even worse when he managed to trick her into helping him escape. Poking fun over their kiss was just too much for her and Kate was starting to second guess taking that bullet for him.

Forgetting completely about the bullet while running on adrenaline, the mere thought of it made the ache it had caused in her back flare up causing a moan of pain to escape her. Before she could respond Castle had grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her in place until her back was facing him. Kate's squawk of protest turned into another moan as his hands started to feel her back. Apparently satisfied with the outside of the vest he slid his hands down to her sides and began to unstrap it before lifting it over her head, which caused her to ache at the stretch required from her muscles.

Now with the vest off Castle's hands returned to her back, but this time his contact wasn't with her vest but with the wet clinging cloths on her back. Feeling heat from his fingers along her spine Kate knew if she wasn't already doing it from the cold, she would have shivered at his touch. Feeling the palpitations of her back stop she was caught off guard when his arms snaked around her shoulder and pulled her towards him into an embrace.

Reaching up to grasp his encircling arms she relaxed into his grip instead of struggling to break free. Castle's head came to rest on top of hers and she felt him squeeze her tightly to him, almost as if he was afraid if he let go she would disappear. "Don't ever do that to me again," he whispered, his voice slightly catching. Nodding her head against him the two of them stood there, a single shivering mass so close together that it would be difficult to see where one of them started and the other ended.

Eventually the cop part of her decided to finish its break and reassert itself in her mind. Realizing that they were both freezing, standing outside, in wet cloths, and with no access to heat in sight she knew they had to fix all of that before hypothermia set in. Teeth chattering, Kate slowly unwound herself from Castle grasp and stepped away from him. Turning to look at him she saw that he was in no better shape than herself, and despite how much she wanted to just revel in the feel of him holding her she knew they had to act.

"Castle if we stay out here we'll freeze. We have to do something to warm up," she said, stuttering her words with the pace of her chattering jaw.

Nodding his head he looked her in the eyes before saying, "That's simple detective. We do what I have been doing since this all started. We run."

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	15. Confessions

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: I spoil you guys but I must say you all deserve it! Reviews are still outstanding, thank you so much everyone for your support. No action in this chapter, but as the title suggests we run into a nice bit of talk between our two leads. I don't have much to say in this note other than this chapter is longer than last, and while not advancing the plot much it does set it up so we don't have blank holes in the story. As always feel free to question, comment, criticize, suggest, or just compliment the story in a review. Thanks ahead of time in reviews and thanks for being so faithful in your reading. Now on to the chapter!

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**Chapter 15: Confessions**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THEM!" Captain Montgomery shouted at the officer updating him on the search.

Standing on the deck of the container ship he had raced down after learning that Beckett had gone overboard with their suspect. Choppers had been sweeping the Hudson ever since, but had yet to turn up any sign of the duo. Montgomery knew that the more time that went by, the less the chances they had of finding Beckett.

Still furious over the knowledge that they couldn't find his star detective he turned away from the trembling rookie. Striding over he stood before the rest of Beckett's team, Ryan and Esposito. Looking down at them he level a stone cold gaze of displeasure at the partners.

"Do either of you care to explain exactly how the two of you let your superior go over the railing and into the Hudson without even trying to follow her?" he asked letting his tone convey his displeasure at this entire ordeal.

Normally all of his detectives were very comfortable around him, in fact that was an asset that he used to inspire their loyalty and work ethic. Today however the two detectives in front of him were squirming like grade school kids in front of the teacher. Roy knew that it was only a matter of seconds before they spilled everything they knew.

"Well it started when we all saw two flashes and the sound of a gunshot come from the bridge," Ryan said, being the first to crack under the pressure.

Esposito didn't hold out any longer, "So we all ran up to investigate the suspected shooting while calling in backup." From that point on they started telling the story sentence by sentence, trading turns.

"We got there to see the Captain unconscious and a guard with a gunshot wound to the shoulder."

"And after calling in the paramedics Beckett notified the rest of the uniforms to a container that was circled on the manifest."

"Instead of having us tag along she lead us to the passenger quarters."

"Where on the way we found a guy tied up."

"And just as we were about to enter Castle stepped out."

"We chased."

"He ambushed us on the deck, throwing me to the ground."

"Then threw Espo's shotgun at my head."

"We tripped him."

"He took Beckett's gun apart somehow."

"We tried to arrest."

"He resisted."

"We fought."

"He handcuffed us together by our wrist and ankle."

"We couldn't get up, but Beckett kept fighting."

"Next thing we know a uniform is pointing a gun at Castle."

"Beckett spun him around, taking the slug in the back."

"They both flipped over the railing."

"And we couldn't get ourselves uncuffed in time to go over after them."

The two detectives really had gone a mile a minute in their tag team explanation and Montgomery needed a second to process it all. He knew the pair was nervous he was going to unleash the wrath of God down upon them, and they were right. Getting cuffed together and leaving Beckett to have to defend herself against an extremely dangerous and lethally trained former covert operative was inexcusable.

Before he could really start laying into the two he heard a commotion from a group coming up from the dock. Turning to see what the commotion was he saw a group of men heading up the boarding ramp, all dressed in suits. Groaning to himself at seeing what was most likely federal agents come to take over the case, Montgomery knew he was in a bad spot. Maybe if his lead detective hadn't just been lost he could have made a case to keep it under NYPD jurisdiction with the support of the FEDs, but with Beckett gone they were going to be able to take this like candy from a baby.

Turning back to Ryan and Esposito he quickly asked, "Other than the two of you and Lanie does anyone know that the gunman was Castle, and is his name mentioned in any of the reports after his arrest?" Seeing them shake their heads no he breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was an international manhunt on the lookout for Castle. Not only would the negative press be overwhelming which would bring the heat down hard on him, but most importantly Castle was one of theirs and he would be damned if he let some federal agency start convicting him simply because he fled.

"Don't say a word to the FEDs about Castle and call Dr. Parish and make sure that she makes no mention of him in her reports. I'm not letting some government agents tarnish Castle's name or the name of the NYPD, understood?" he asked waiting until he received nods of confirmation.

Taking a deep breath Montgomery turned towards the suits walking towards him and moved to meet them. This entire debacle had a very large possibility of blowing up in his face, but Castle was one of his and he had _never_ abandoned one of his own. He just prayed that with Beckett by his side the man would be able to solve this entire mess before it got any further out of hand.

**(BREAK)**

When Castle said that they were going to run, Kate had not been expecting him to mean it literally. As soon as he said it she had thought that maybe he was asking her to come with him in evading the police. Instead he had just walked up to the dock, turned towards the city, and just started flat out running. Kate had been stunned into surprise until she realized he was leaving her behind, and then it was all about keeping up.

Following him they took off at a very quick pace that made her muscles ache as they tried to shake off the numbness of the cold. Laughing a little to herself at some of the quirky, but brilliant, ideas that Castle sometimes had Kate realized they were running to warm up so they didn't freeze. Confident in this newfound knowledge she pressed herself until she was running by his side, determined to show him up in something tonight.

Seeing him toss a grin towards her he just kept on going. For minutes at a time they would run before stopping to let their bodies heat up at the sudden inactivity. Then when they stopped producing more heat they started right back up again. For blocks and blocks they ran, sticking to back alleys and running through abandoned parts of town. Because they had come ashore at a more dilapidated part of New York the pair didn't see many people as they kept up their pace. That didn't mean that they didn't get funny looks by the other pedestrians that saw the sopping wet duo speeding along, but it was New York, weird was common.

For over half an hour they sped along the city, taking paths and routes that made no sense to Kate at all. Sometimes they would run up a block, only to cut across to a parallel one and head back in the direction they came from. One thing they didn't do was stay in one place for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Half of this Kate knew was meant to keep them warm, the other half she assumed was Castle's way of making sure they weren't being followed.

Eventually, after what seemed like near an hour of running, Castle slowed down and stopped in front of a cheap hotel building. Throwing his hands up and behind his head he was visibly winded taking in huge gulps of air. Kate mirroring his actions was happy to see that while she was out of breath as well, she wasn't as bad as Castle. One thing was similar about the two of them, and that was that they were soaked. However, now instead of cold river water they were both covered in a sheen of sweat.

Seeing Castle walk up the stairs she turned to follow him, entering the hotel behind him. Passing by the front desk, in which the receptionist was sitting in a chair dozing, they headed up the stairs. Watching him ascend ahead of her Kate was a little mesmerized at the sight of Castle in front of her. Never before had she seen the man in anything remotely form fitting, but now that she had a nice view of him she knew it wasn't because he was out of shape. Castle's muscular figure was clearly displayed by his wet clinging cloths, and instead of the muscle bound features of a heavy gym user he had a lean graceful frame like that of a swimmer.

Feeling her eyes slide lower to his backside Kate quickly blushed as she averted her gaze. She was not going to check out Richard Castle while he was a wanted fugitive, especially not when she was supposed to be the officer arresting him. Finally exiting the stairwell they walked down the hall until they Castle stopped at a room. Unlocking the door he opened it and the two entered closing it behind.

**(BREAK)**

After taking turns showering and putting on some dry spare clothes Castle had, the pair sat down to talk. Still a bit chilly the two had decided to hold their talk in the bathroom with the door closed and shower running on hot, giving the room an almost sauna like atmosphere. Long minutes passed as they sat in silence next to each other on the sink counter, feet hanging in the air. Just as Kate was working up the nerve to say something Rick spoke.

"Why Kate? What did I possibly do to make you think I was capable of murder from the second you saw me?" he asked, his tone pleading for an answer.

Hearing his voice practically begging her for the reasoning behind her actions Kate's heart pulled. Knowing that at this point excuses and rationalizations would do more harm than good she decided upon the truth.

Gently taking his chin in her hand, she turned his head until their eyes met. "Castle I am so sorry about how I treated you. I was scared, scared of where I found you and scared when Ryan almost shot you. Don't worry by the way I gave him hell for that," she said giving him a small smile at the last bit. "I can't speak for the boys but I want you to know I _never_ believed that you were guilty, even for a moment, and that the only reason I didn't come and talk to you right after you were processed was because Internal Affairs was trying to accuse me of helping you kill Ms. Monroe."

Seeing on his face that her words were starting to take hold she pressed on, "Seeing you at that crime scene made my heart stop, and the only way I knew to get through that was to push my emotions to the side and be a cop. I wanted so bad to apologize for that, but apparently you didn't like the exposed toilet in holding enough to wait around."

Her statement caused him to bark out a sharp laugh and his face to crinkle up into a smile. Seeing his demeanor turn from somber to joyful was all it took for Kate's face to grow to match his. Glad that she was finally able to apologize and not make the situation worse through her actions she felt a large weight lifted from her shoulders.

"I was scared you all gave up on me from the beginning. It really means a lot to hear you say that. I guess I should apologize to for not having more faith in you, I mean I did kind of overreact without getting all the facts," Castle confessed, showing once again his thought for others in an apology that Kate didn't even feel he needed to give.

Not wanting to get in a bickering match over which apology was more sincere Kate said, "How about we call it even and start out fresh. No more blame, no more hard feelings, just the two of us like we used to be."

Grinning and nodding his head Castle showed his agreement. However, his grin quickly turned from heartfelt and joyous to one that was laced with mischief, "But Kate how exactly are we going to go back to the way we were with you ignoring every comment I give you after our little underwater escapade?"

Dropping her jaw in shock of how he so quickly reverted to his teasing manner, Kate was speechless. That was it she took it all back, she would give anything to figure out a way to get his ass back in booking to stop him from embarrassing her. Seeing his knowing grin that he had made her uncomfortable her cheeks just flushed more in response. Blushing furiously at how fast he turned things around on her, she organized her thoughts before saying...

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	16. Teaming Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Reviews just don't let up and I honestly don't know how you all do it but I am still completely humbled by your kind words. Now here is something that is going to make everyone happy I think. It doesn't look like I will be able to finish this fic before Monday's premiere. I COULD do it, but I would end up rushing it and then not only would I be completely unsatisfied with it, but I would be taking a step down quality wise and none of you deserve that. So that being said this will continue a bit longer until it naturally reaches its conclusion. So saying that I give you a medium length chapter which I stayed up late doing so if there is errors its because I'm tired so just let me know and I'll fix them. As always feel free to comment, question, criticize, and suggest anything and everything regarding the story to me via a review or PM. Now on to the chapter!

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**Chapter 16: Teaming Upf**

"I honestly don't know Castle," Kate said lowering her gaze, feeling her walls start to crack at the admission.

"Well good," he replied, causing Kate's to whip her eyes back up to him, "Because seriously I didn't want to be the only clueless one in this situation."

His statement caused them both the chuckle breaking the tension that had formed over his initial question.

Reaching he cupped her chin in her hand, "Kate seeing you take that bullet was the most frightening thing that I have ever experienced. When we were falling in the water I was so scared that it had missed the vest, or that the vest failed. When you kissed me, I have never been more relieved in my life because it meant you were alive."

Leaning further into his grip she confessed her own fears, "When I saw the uniform pointing his gun at you the only thing that went through my mind was that you weren't wearing a vest. If he had hit you god knows what would have happened. I didn't think about what was going to happen afterwards or that I may not make it. I just couldn't let you go I guess."

Giving her a sincere smile Castle stroked his thumb across her cheek. Then he brought them out of their serious confessions and back into the world they were both familiar with, banter. "I personally still think it was part of your elaborate plot to make out with me underwater."

Kate smiled at the statement. She was glad he was keeping it light, and knew it was intentional so neither of them would feel uncomfortable. "Would it help keep your ego under control if I said that I didn't know it was you?" she quipped smiling back in turn to let him know she was joking.

"Ahh yes that would make perfect sense, because there is just so many ruggedly handsome authors waiting for you beneath the waves," he said smiling at his almost poetic response.

Snorting in amusement she bumped into his side, not quite capable of coming up with a response to that particular thrust. Marveling at how they got to this point, Kate couldn't say she was disappointed. Castle was alive and safe next to her in a steamy bathroom flirting with her after they had gone overboard, almost drowned in the Hudson, and then froze to death after getting themselves out.

Castle hopping off the counter and pivoting to stand in front of her quickly broke her from her thoughts. Seeing him step until he was standing between her legs he drew in close looking at her with a deep desire in his eyes.

"Kate I'm going to ask because I really don't want to get hit by you again tonight. Can I kiss you?" Rick said his face inches from hers.

Swallowing down a lump of nerves Kate didn't waste time with words. Grabbing the back of his head she forced his head forward and his lips to hers. Feeling herself quickly become lost once again in the feel of his lips against hers, Kate knew one thing for certain. The kiss beneath the Hudson was not a fluke, Rick Castle was plain addicting. The bathroom quickly faded away and once more the world seemed to only consist of the two of them, the only difference was that this time they didn't have any good excuse to stop.

After what seemed like hours it was Rick who pulled back once again. Putting his hands on her shoulders to keep her from reattaching their lips Castle's smile was from ear to ear. "Kate as much as I would love to take this further, and trust me I really really would, it isn't the right time. I don't want this thing between us to be some type of heat of the moment fling, and I really don't want it to be anything we look back on with regret. While the situation of our first kiss fits us perfectly, I want anything more to be special."

Damn him and his chivalry, and damn his stupid rational thoughts. The thought of tackling him to the ground and kissing him hard enough to erase any rational thought from his mind for the next few hours was incredibly tempting. Sighing in defeat she knew Castle was right though. They were both running high on emotions right now and taking things too far could hurt them more than help them.

Apparently her disappointment showed on her face because Castle leaned back in and gave her one last long lingering kiss. As he pulled away she grabbed him by his hair and held him so their faces were only inches apart. "Listen good Castle. I will stop even though I shouldn't, but you can bet your sorry ass that we will finish this after we clear your name."

Seeing his jaw drop at her risqué statement Kate released his hair before hopping off the counter and slithering around him and out the bathroom. Smiling to herself, the look on his face had just been absolutely priceless. It was about time that she did some surprising of her own for a change. Now it was time to get to work.

**(BREAK)**

Ryan and Esposito were sitting at their desks after basically being sidelined by the FBI. "We will keep you in the loop" the FBI claimed as they setup in a precinct conference room, barely giving the duo the time of day after collecting their files. Sure they both knew that they had screwed up on this case, but to be benched was definitely overkill. Especially considering the federal agents were most assuredly not keeping them in the loop.

Sitting at their desks they were trying everything they could to find Beckett, and to find Castle as well. So far nothing had come from the countless favors they had called in, nor from any of the other precincts that were keeping their eyes open. Just as they thought they were reaching a dead end Esposito's phone rang.

Picking it up he barked his usual greeting, "Esposito." Ryan, watching him, noticed a look of confusion cross his face as he restated his name before putting the phone back on the receiver.

"What was that?" Kevin asked.

"Must have been a wrong number, no one on the other end," Javier answered.

Then another rigging began, but this time it was coming from Beckett's desk. Sliding over Ryan picked up her phone, but before he could bring it to his ear another ring shrilled out. Looking at Esposito, who had stood up and walked over to Kate's desk just as confused, they began looking for the source of the ringing. Following the sound Ryan crouched onto all fours before giving a start of surprise.

Watching him reach under the desk, Esposito heard the sound of tape being ripped off a surface. Moments later Ryan pulled a cellphone out from under Kate's desk.

Completely baffled at the sight of a cheap cellphone that had been taped to the bottom of Beckett's desk, Ryan did the only thing he could think of, he answered it. "Hello," he tentatively asked.

"Ryan jeez it's about time. For a second there I thought Castle was lying when he said there was a phone hidden near my desk. I need a status update where are we?" Beckett's voice asked from the other end of the line.

Looking at Esposito in shock over who had just called him, and on what phone they had called him on, he quickly moved towards the back stairwell motioning Esposito to follow. "Hang on a second," he said as the pair hurried inconspicuously out of the bullpen.

After making their way into the stairwell, and insuring none of the FBI agents followed them, Ryan put her on speaker phone and asked, "Beckett what the heck happened? Where are you? Are you with Castle? When are you coming back in?"

"Castle and I got knocked overboard and we managed to make it to shore. Yes I'm with Castle but no I'm not going to tell you where I am. Now fill me in with what is going on," she replied shooting off his answers before restating her demand.

Esposito was the one who spoke up to fill her in, "After you went overboard we sent out choppers and uniforms to search for you, obviously they never found you. The container turned out to be pretty much empty, but from the look of the empty wooden crates that were still in it there may have been weapons inside."

"In the passenger quarters we found an Iranian Rial and a bunch of prints, but we can't get the information on them," Ryan chimed in.

"Really that's all we got. The FBI showed up and they're stonewalling us completely. Claimed that this is a terrorist threat to the US and that it's their jurisdiction. After we lost track of you the captain couldn't do much to keep them from taking over. Beckett they effectively benched us after taking all of our notes and it doesn't look like we're going to figure anything out while they're still in charge. The one piece of good news is that they still think we have Castle in protective custody somewhere and don't know about his involvement," Esposito confessed.

"Ok you two keep your eyes and ears open and I'll call you back at this number. Don't tip off the FBI that I have contacted you, and don't let them know you have this phone on you. I'll keep in touch," Kate said before they both heard the click of her hanging up.

**(BREAK)**

Castle watched the one side of Kate's conversation with Esposito and Ryan with interest. He was just as curious as to what was going on back at the precinct as Kate. When she had asked for a phone, since hers had gotten dunked when they went for their swim, he provided her with anther burn phone. Going even further he had told her about the phone Powell had taped to the underside of her desk that was untraceable. Originally he had intended to use it if he needed to talk to her, but since she was with him that didn't seem like a good use for it. However, it was now the perfect tool to be used to contact Ryan and Esposito without having to worry about the call being traced or recorded.

Seeing Kate hang up, he looked at her waiting for her to fill him in. "It looks like the FBI took over and are keeping all information pertaining to the case from the boys. Apparently this has become a viable terrorist threat and the NYPD are no longer able to handle it. So it looks like we'll be solving this together. Besides someone has to keep you from getting shot… again," Kate said throwing him a smirk, already making light of the earlier incident.

Feeling a smile form on his own face in return Castle couldn't wait.

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	17. Covert Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Wow last nights premiere was really something. Kudos to me for having Castle be CIA in my story and for it to actually be mentioned in the premiere (albeit extremely briefly so no worries about it being a spoiler). I will say if you haven't seen it yet you will be in for a treat when you do! Now I see I am at about 275 reviews and I am kind of getting speechless on the complimenting front. I don't know what to say guys/gals but thank you so very much for making this story a joy to write for all of you. This chapter has a tiny itsy bitsy clue as to what the murder of Felicia Monroe is all about and why people are after Castle. However, I will not confirm or deny the existence of it if you guess, I will simply ignore that part of your review and comment on other aspects. Now saying that it doesn't mean I am wrapping this story up tomorrow or anything. I held it off and I intend to keep going for a bit. As always feel free to comment, question, criticise, or suggest anything to me and if appropriate and if you are a registered user I will respond. If your missing something or something doesn't make sense just ask and I will clarify to the best of my ability, really not a problem. This chapter is Beckett Castle centric and gives a lot of explanation, smidge of romance but very important to the story line. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 17: Covert Past**

An hour later Kate was regretting ever coming up with the stupid idea of sticking with Castle. For so long she had worked hard to maintain a level of professionalism, an image people would come to respect. Castle, in his unending lunacy, had in one fell swoop obliterated all the signs of her hard work. Kate Beckett had become a blond.

It wasn't just any blond either; no Castle had to make her a Britney Spears and Paris Hilton blond. The kind of blond that people saw and immediately thought, "Oh look here comes another airhead." She was going to kill him, after that she would just have to solve this case by herself. Strawberry blond, blond highlights, even a dirty blond would have been acceptable. Instead he had pulled out a box and proceeded to bypass all of the smart variations of the color and go directly to airhead bleached blond. Castle even compounded the crime by grinning like a fool at her in the mirror.

Glaring at him through the reflection of the mirror she let her distaste for his work be known, "Castle if you didn't take apart my gun, which you _will_ show me how to do when this is over, I would shoot you!"

"Oh come on Kate it isn't that bad. Sure you may give the impression that you become easily confused by phrases such as 'chicken of the sea,' but that's the brilliance of the disguise. No one would ever imagine that smart, savvy, sexy, hard nosed Detective Kate Beckett would suddenly turn into a ditzy, bubbly, still undeniably sexy blonde," Castle said chuckling at the death glares she was throwing at him.

Turning to lean against the counter with her hands folded across her chest her glare didn't relent. "When this is over Castle you _will_ pay to have my hair changed back to the way it was. And you better hope that that whoever you pick to fix it knows what they are doing or so help me I will make you wish you were never born."

Holding up his hands in surrender Castle came up with a solution, "How about this Kate. When this is over not only will I pay for you to get your hair back to normal, but I will also go with you and get my hair dyed back as well so that you can feel comfortable that I didn't instruct the stylist to do anything nefarious."

Nodding her head in acceptance, but still uncomfortable with the new color to her locks, Kate turned and walked out of the dirty bathroom. Sitting on the bed, since Castle's rented room lacked chairs and a table, she waited until he followed into the room before asking, "It's time to fill me in Castle. I still don't know what you know and if we're going to solve this we have to be on the same page."

Castle looked at her with what seemed to be a slight sense of uncertainty. "Kate, are you sure that you don't want to go back to the precinct. I know what being a cop means to you, but if I let you in then you can't go back until we see this through."

Seeing that he was giving her an out, Kate didn't even think about taking it, "That really would have been a question to ask BEFORE you had me dye my hair Castle. Look the FBI took over at the precinct and have benched the boys do you really think that if I go back they would try and include me? Frankly it's not worth the hassle, and besides I always wanted to experience the life of a secret agent."

Seeing him soften a bit at her words, but not completely, Kate decided to end her reassurance on a serious tone, "Castle look, despite of any of that you're my partner, and that means that I am going to stick with you no matter what. We both know you're not guilty and that together we have the best chance of finding out who murdered Ms. Monroe. I want to see justice for her, but more importantly I want to see it for you. So let's do this together and no more second guessing ok?"

Castle noticeably relaxed at her words before nodding his head as he came to sit next to her on the bed. Letting him go at his own pace it took a few minutes before he began to speak, "Growing up with a mother who was a traveling actress wasn't exactly easy. Mother did the best she could, but stage performers never really got paid a good amount back then. Add in the fact that she was constantly out socializing and moving from man to man and let's just say money was pretty tight. It wasn't that Mother was a partier because she enjoyed it, even though she did, but in her prime that was the best way to be noticed and land roles and it's the only way she knows to go about getting a part."

Grabbing his hand in support she held it in her lap giving him a squeeze urging him to continue. "Because of all that Mother didn't have the money to send me to college, even though academically I was in good standing. Since I didn't want to live the life of a traveling performer, or that of a factory worker, I decided to join the Marines and get the G.I. Bill to pay for my education when I was finished. That didn't quite turn out as planned from the start," Castle said throwing her a lopsided smile to let her know that he wasn't telling her a sob story looking for pity, just the facts.

Kate was enthralled with Castle's reminiscence. While he always seemed to be pecking away at her personal barriers, Kate didn't realize until this moment that in the two years they had worked together he had offered almost no information about his early life. Mentally kicking herself, Kate couldn't help the feeling of guilt that ran through her at the realization that she never really tried to get to know him until now.

Shaking off her musing for later she listened as he continued his story. "When you join the Marines you take an aptitude test, designed specifically to best place you within the Marines. Turns out I either passed mine too well, or completely failed it, I never found out which. Anyways next thing I know I'm sitting in the recruiting office talking to a man who identified himself as a CIA recruiter. Apparently, my early childhood of constantly moving and learning to assimilate into new environments along with my scores on the aptitude test were the ideal background to being an agent. I was young and a bit naïve at the time so when the CIA offered me a higher starting pay and the same G.I. Bill benefits I took it. That choice led me down a career path that I followed until Alexis was six years old."

Taking a deep breath he continued to the relevant information, "Now while the stories I have from that life are pretty numerous there is really only one that matters. During Desert Storm I was tasked with ferreting out and then intercepting arms transactions between Iraq and the Soviet Union. I met and worked with Felicia for one of these operations. Standard operating procedure for the agency is to pair operatives up with handlers they've never worked with before for missions that involve large sums of money. The thought behind this is that neither will be comfortable enough to try and steal any money during the mission, both afraid the other will turn them in if they do. Personally I could never think about stealing any of that money, not when there was so much blood associated with it."

Realizing he went off on a bit of a tangent Castle almost visibly reigned himself back in, "Anyway Felicia and I were tasked with intercepting the funds that were meant to pay for a large sale of tanks that the Soviets were trying to sell the Iraqis The Iraqis had hopes that Russian weapons could turn the tide of the war and were willing to pay five hundred million dollars. Let me tell you, that amount of money is not something that is easily transferred either, especially when the US shutdown their ability to send wire transfers outside the country. Ultimately the two sides decided that gold was the best currency to use and the Iraqis intended to trade in gold bullion to buy the tanks. That is where things got interesting."

"Both sides agreed upon using dead drops for the exchange so the US wouldn't be able to actually catch the Soviets selling arms to a nation they were at war with. That was the standard late Cold War means of operation for the Soviets. They could claim that the items were stolen or a rogue general sold them and that it wasn't sanctioned by the government. Since five hundred million dollars in gold bullion was a bit too much for me to carry out in a backpack, I instead chose to steal something a little easier to carry, I stole the locations of the dead drops when the two sides met to trade them. Before either side knew what happened the US flew in, packed up the gold, and then flew it out. Both sides accused the other thinking they were being ripped off and the deal went downhill pretty quick. Not even a month later the Soviet Union collapsed into bankruptcy," Castle said concluding the story of how exactly he managed to steal so much money.

"How did Ms. Monroe come to play in all of this?" Kate asked drawn in by the story Rick was telling.

"Felicia was my handler for the mission. I gave her periodic status reports and then near the end I reported the location of the where the gold was. She coordinated the extraction of the money through the military branches never actually entering the field with me. After the op was done I never saw her again until this week," Castle said clearly still a bit lost to why she would contact him, and why she was killed.

Kate was now switching to cop mode, and only the gentle squeezing of Castle's hand held in her own kept it from feeling like an interrogation, "Do you have any idea what they could have wanted from her?:

Shaking his head Castle answered, "No, that's the thing. I don't have a clue. Felicia was privy to everything that I knew related to the op. There wasn't any money missing so it wouldn't make sense to go after thinking she had any of it, and it makes no sense that Iranians may be involved either. Iran had just lost a war with Iraqi years before."

"Well whatever they are after, they think you have it. We were pretty sure that they used Ms. Monroe to try and draw you out," Kate said which caused Castle to nod his head before she even finished.

"I know. Felicia didn't know it so they poisoned her and set her up to draw me out. When news of who was arrested in association with her murder got leaked they knew to come looking for me. That's why I had to get out of the precinct, Alexis and Mother were in danger and I can't let them sit around worried about their lives Kate," Castle said growing slightly frantic at the thought that someone could be after his immediate family, and they had already killed someone to try and get there.

Rubbing his back with a hand to soothe him Kate decided that it was time to get back in action, "So partner, what should we do next."

"Well you said you always wanted to experience the life of a secret agent right. How about I show you how we'd go about finding Iranians in New York," Castle said with a tone of mischief and a twinkle in his eye. Laughing at his sudden uplift in mood, Kate wasn't sure if she should be nervous or excited at his proposal. Deciding that no matter what she felt it was going to be one hell of an experience, she decided on both.

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	18. Suiting Up

Disclaimer: I do not Castle ABC does.

A/N: Took me a bit of time to get this up, mainly because work was a bit hectic this week. 9 reviews away from 300 I just want to thank each and everyone that has reviewed for making this story so special. Your support is really what makes me want to update so often and so quickly so thank you. This chapter doesn't have a ton of advancement in it, but it sets up for the next chapter that I know everyone is really going to love. I did run into a bit of a mental block when writing this so thats why it took longer as well. Next chapter is already planned out in my mind so that won't take quite as long. First glimpse at one of our bad guys this chapter so thanks for your patience on that. As always feel free to criticize, comment, question, discuss, suggest, or even just PM me to talk about the story. All comments are welcome. Now onto the chapter!

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Chapter 18: Suit Up

The first aspect of being a secret agent apparently was shopping, clothes shopping to be more precise. Taking a wad of cash, Castle had led her out of the dingy hotel and towards some street outlets that reminded her of their case together with knockoff purses. Selecting a variety of clothing, all in shades of black as per Castle's request, she purchased and then changed into her new outfit. From there they had walked out of the store with Castle dropping the cloths she had borrowed off into a charity drop box.

From there they had headed across town using a combination of subways, taxis, and cutting through central park. When she had asked why they were doing all of this when even Castle didn't think anyone was following, his response had been "practice." From that point on Kate realized that everything he was doing was in an attempt to show her how he used to live his life. Realization that he was showing her his past through actions brought a smile to Kate's face that she couldn't seem to wipe off.

Instead of heading back to their crappy motel Castle led them to a nondescript building in another part of town. Walking inside Kate looked at the sign above the reception area, it read "Big Al's Indoor Storage." Rolling her eyes at the completely absurd name, Kate followed behind Castle as he started up the stairs in the back.

"You need to get some more money Castle?" Kate asked with a touch of amusement in her voice.

Chuckling softly Castle shook his head. "Nope just need to get you something so you feel a little less naked," he quipped back.

Confused at what he meant she stopped behind him as they reached the unit that he obviously rented. Unlocking the door Castle stepped in waiting for her to follow before closing the door behind them. Completely engulfed in darkness, Kate heard Castle shuffle forward further into the room. A few seconds later a click was heard and an overhead light illuminated the darkness. Looking around she was slightly shocked to see the extent of Castle's resources.

"Jeez Castle you plan on invading Manhattan or something?" Kate asked. Surrounding the pair was a veritable armory of weapons all throughout the room. This was like his first drop point except that there was nothing but guns. To her well trained eye she could clearly tell that the vast majority of them were illegal for possession by a citizen, and they were all most assuredly illegal if they lacked serial numbers like his other ones had.

Throwing her an impish grin he gestured to the weapons. "Pick which one you want. I figured that since I kind of took yours apart and that you couldn't go home to get your spare I would give you a chance to replace it with something you were comfortable with," he said in way of explanation. Smiling in return she stepped forward completely understanding his comment now about feeling naked.

**(BREAK)**

Castle watched as Beckett began to walk around the storage area looking over the different weapons mounted around the room. She looked incredible in the dark outfit that she had picked out earlier that day. Watching her pick out clothes really had been something. She had discarded what most women he had known would drool over, only to pick the practical items that fit with what they were doing. Even better when all was said and done she _still_ looked like she would be at home on a fashion runway.

Admiring the stunning, and completely surprising, women in front of him Castle was still amazed that she chose to come with him. When the entire ordeal had ended he thought he was going to have to slip away when she wasn't paying attention, instead she had shocked him. First she had apologized for what she had done to him completely taking credit for her actions and not trying to place any blame on anyone but herself. That act alone had blown him away since the Kate Beckett he had come to know never admitted she was wrong, because usually she wasn't. Hearing her tell him right out that she had screwed up and that she was sorry and never thought he was guilty had made his own anger evaporate into thin air.

After that and their mutual apology she had completely blown his mind away when she grabbed him for a kiss. That had floored him just as much as the kiss in the Hudson had, but even then she had taken it a step further. Kate was damn special to him and there was no way in hell he planned on screwing things up so he, reluctantly as he had ever been, put the brakes on and kept them from tearing one another's clothes off right then and there. Then when she had told him that they were damn sure going to finish later he had almost completely lost control.

Now the two of them were teamed up again chasing the bad guys and it just felt right. Seeing her stop in front of a particular area Castle stepped back from his thoughts to pay attention to what she was doing. Apparently she had made her decision as she reached forward and took a pistol off of one of the racks. Turning it over in her hands with her back still to him she studied it before turning around to face him.

Kate was holding a Glock-17, the official gun of the NYPD, in her hands. Chuckling softly to himself Castle really was amazed how much of a cop she really was. "The weight seems to be a little off," she said hefting it in her hands.

Nodding his head without thinking he stepped up and reached around her to a drawer. Drawing out a metal tube he took the gun from her hand. 'That's because this model is meant to have a silencer attached to it. Notice the extended barrel at the end," Rick pointed out to her screwing on the silencer. Handing the gun back to her he let her feel the weight of it again. Seeing her aim down the sights was probably simultaneously one of the most badass and hottest things he had ever witnessed.

Apparently satisfied she turned to him. "So what's next?" she asked, a sense of adventure and a deep seated determination in her eyes.

Smiling, and feeling completely overwhelmed in her trust for him that he thought was nonexistent, Castle let her in on his plan.

**(BREAK)**

Mahmoud Hamadan had been left in charge of watching the apartment of the man they were after, Richard Castle. Ever since he had first gotten there, soon after the news of the arrest, the building had shown no sign of any of the people he was meant to look for. None of him or his brothers believed that the Russian was right when he said that Richard Castle was their man. They were under orders though and their orders said to follow him. Still watching over the apartment of a man who was already in jail seemed like a waste of his time.

Slouching against the wall of the alley he was currently in Mahmoud knew that tonight was going to be another boring night. He could only hope that one of his brothers would be around soon to relieve him so he could actually be doing something of value.

Before he could finish his thoughts a voice whispered in his ear, "Bored comrade?" Taken off guard he went to whirl around only to feel strong hands restrain him and a rag smelling of chemicals cover his mouth. Next thing he knew the world was black.

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	19. Interrogation

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Over 300 reviews and still going strong thank you everyone. So this chapter was a blast to write and I think everyone is going to find it fun to read. I do want to point out that the dialogue is meant to be a bit choppy and you should understand, accents people. One thing I do want to mention is that I get the feeling that alot of people are expecting me to write a sex scene. Sorry guys but I don't write smut, not that I have anything against it, but I just don't do it. Call it personal choice, but thats something a little to personal for me to be penning. Doesn't mean I won't have them get together, I just wont be going into detail with it. Will talk about that more later. As always feel free to comment, criticize, questions, suggest, or just plain start a dialogue with me about the story. Now onto the next chapter!

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Chapter 19: Interrogation

Hamadan felt the world slowly coming back into focus. Completely disoriented he tried to wipe the fog from his eyes only to feel the burn of rope against his wrist. Alarmed and now remembering what had happened, he opened his eyes to find out what was going on. Looking down Hamadan saw that he was tied to a steel chair by his hands and feet, and that he was in a dark room with the only light being from a single low watt bulb over his head.

Realizing that whoever had grabbed him in the alley had brought him here he only hoped that his allies would come and bring their wrath down upon his captors. He imagined even now that they were circling the building that he was in, ready to spring him from his captors and then it would be them tied to a chair in a dark room.

His reassurances where suddenly cut off, "Good you are awake comrade, that is good for us. Bad for you perhaps, but good for us," a deep Russian voice said in choppy English.

Turning his head Hamadan tried to find the source of the sound only seeing blackness all around. The knowledge that someone was out there was unnerving. "What do you look for? Rescue perhaps, I must apologize that will not be happening," the voice continued this time from behind him.

How did this person know what he was thinking? Where was he and why did that voice sound so confident. "You do not know what you do. They will come for me as soon as they know I am missing and then you will suffer," he proclaimed feeling his courage return at the statement.

A chilling laugh was the response to his statement. "What makes you so certain they haven't already tried?" the voice said from directly in front of him. A pair of hands moved into the light and his breath hitched. The hands were using a rag to clean off the blood that covered them. Sweat broke out on Hamadan's brow at the realization of how hopeless his situation was. The hope that his allies were coming had been slim to even begin with, but now realization that they had come and failed was even worse. For the first time since this all started he began to feel fear.

**(BREAK)**

Preparation; that was what Castle had said was the key ingredient to a successful clandestine interrogation. One of the most impressive things about her interrogations he had said was the mental preparation she put into them. As soon as the door opened she was an unrelenting force that kept driving and never allowed her suspects to take a moment to gather their thoughts. Her drive was what enabled her to get confessions so fast without the suspect realizing what they were giving away. Mentally she knew exactly what she was going to say, how she was going to word it, and exactly how to craft the interrogation to keep people off balance. Castle however was showing that sometimes preparation had to be more than mental.

Honestly they had no idea who this man was or if he was even involved in this entire ordeal. His nationality and the coincidence of him watching Castle's loft for hours without taking breaks tipped the probability of him being after Castle strongly in their favor. Subduing him and taking the man to an abandoned building outside Manhattan hadn't been difficult at all, and Castle had done it almost as if it was a long practiced skill. It was then that the preparation had started.

After securing the suspect to a chair Castle and herself had worked to transform the room around him so that it was pitch black with only a light above their suspect's chair. This was done so that he would be unable to actually see them as long as they were out of the light. Afterwards Castle had asked her to watch over their suspect while he made a quick stop. Coming back with a paper bag one of his stops had apparently been to a local butcher where he had bought a container of pig's blood that he doused his hands in.

Preparation and fear were the two aspects that Castle said would crack this guy the quickest. They had little time for an interrogation and that meant they needed to instill fear into their suspect as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Rick had called good cop bad cop a sissy act, and instead had explained to her something that she would never be able to do in a precinct.

Watching Castle Kate had been a bit in awe of what an unofficial CIA interrogation worked like. Castle had only given the man seconds to become aware of his surroundings before beginning.

"Good you are awake comrade, that is good for us. Bad for you perhaps but good for us," Rick said, making sure to keep his Russian accent broken and thick.

That was a large part of the plan according to Castle. Terrorists didn't fear Americans he had explained. American's followed rules and had lines that they could not cross without being reprimanded by their government. America operated prisons that offered better living conditions than the actual terrorist's lives. America was soft towards the people they captured. These people had no fear of Americans.

Russians on the other hand were an absolute wild card. Russians didn't have to follow the same rules as Americans and most of the time heavy handed practices such as torture were encouraged. A Russian agent could be as brutal as he wanted without fear of reprimand. Russians, Castle had explained, where much more intimidating for interrogations. Besides with both of them having intimate knowledge of Russian and having spent time there it was a perfect fit for the pair.

"What do you look for? Rescue perhaps, I must apologize that will not be happening," Castle said slowly nudging the suspect into the direction he wanted.

"You do not know what you do. They will come for me as soon as they know I am missing and then you will suffer," their suspect shot back, clearly still having some courage left in him. Unknowingly, he had just played into Castle's hand.

Chuckling in a way that made Kate realize that this was definitely not the first time Castle had done this, Rick moved in front of the bound man and said, "What makes you so certain they haven't already tried?"

Moving his hands in the light, so that the blood and stark white towel in his hands were the only part of him illuminated, Kate saw the man visibly react. Sweat formed above his brow and his eyes darted in fear from Castle's hands to all around the room. Castle's trick with the blood had worked perfectly and now their suspect was probably under the illusion that his friends had already tried and failed to save him. If he didn't think that Castle drove the point home.

"Your comrades bleed very easily. Too bad you slept through the screams," Castle said stepping around the man while clapping a bloody palm onto his shoulder.

"Some escaped, but I fear that is worse for you. I offer you deal. Tell us where they hide and I do not torture," Castle said bending to whisper in the man's ear.

Visibly shaking now at the calm, but deadly tone, coming from Castle the man used up the last of his defiance, "I will tell you nothing. I am prepared to die a hero for my country. You do not scare me."

Standing behind him Castle rested a bloody hand on each of his shoulders and laughed. "You are brave, that is good it means more fun. You are not afraid of me is good, but Katya, she is one to fear."

At the mention of her name Kate walked in front of the suspect so that all but her face was bathed in light. Seeing the man's eyes flick from trying to look at Castle to her she saw the sweat run even faster off his face. Fear practically oozed from his pores and Castle still wasn't even done. Damn if he wasn't good.

"I break things, fingers, toes, knees, arms. I break all types of bones. I use fists to make people talk. Katya, she is more delicate more, how do you say, creative," Castle said, continuing to unnerve the man.

Deciding to be a bit more than just a bystander Kate joined the fun with her own Russian accent. "I take parts of you. Finger, nose, toes, hand, it does not matter. When I finish, I take tongue and then let you go. It is more cruel to let cripple live with torture is it not?" she asked seeing the suspect's eyes almost bulge out at the suggestion of not ending his life after crippling him.

Before he would even fully process what was going on Castle whipped him backwards so he crashed into the floor, still trapped in the chair. Fear was the only emotion left in the man's eyes as he moved his gaze between the two. Kate and Castle both know that the only thing he was seeing was their shadowy silhouettes and would that his fear was only intensified at being unable to make out their features.

"Katya has a special treat, one I have not seen in long time. Is personal favorite because it always fun to guess on when it end," Castle said as he leant forward and cut the front of their suspect's shirt down the middle. Taking a step backwards he moved to where Kate had seen him place the paper bag and a bucket earlier.

Not wanting to give the man a second of reprieve she kept pouring on the pressure, "This always makes such pretty screams. I wonder how you will sound."

Coming back to stand over the suspect again Castle picked up where she had left off. Thankfully to since she had no idea what he was threatening to do. Pulling a squiggling bundle out of the bag he moved to hand it to her. Looking closely at it Kate had to use every ounce of her nerve to not flinch away, even then it was only the intense fear the man beneath them felt that caused her surprise to go unnoticed. Castle, the absolute jerk, was passing her a rat.

"I explain," Castle began, "I always take joy in explanation. Katya will put rat on chest and cover with bucket. Then she light fire to top of bucket. Rat must escape heat so will gnaw its way to safety, guess what it will go through comrade."

Kate again had to suppress herself from physically showing surprise. Where the hell had Castle come up with this one? A rat chewing through a person for torture, it was insane. Realizing that she still had to play her part she took the rat and dangled it by its tail onto the suspects bare stomach.

Looking at the man prone on the ground she saw his eyes locked onto to rat as it tried to find purchase with its front legs on his skin. Seeing the look in his eyes Kate wasn't quite sure if the man was going to pass out before they got anything useful out of him, he was practically catatonic. Deciding to push the man to the edge she grabbed the bucket and clapped it over the rat as soon as she dropped it, trapping the rodent against the man's skin.

Castle lit a lighter and passed it before speaking again, "Last chance comrade. Tell us location of where your friends hide and we do not harm, or stay silent and feel sensation of little jaws. Your choice."

Kate knowing that this was the moment of truth moved the lighter closer to the bucket nudging the man over the edge, "Please do not talk, I wish to hear screams."

Hearing the sound of liquid hitting the floor Kate realized the man had literally pissed himself. It wasn't even a second later before he looked up with tear filled eyes and began to talk.

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	20. Memories

Disclaimer: I do not won Castle ABC des

A/N: I got great reviews for last chapter thanks everyone. Now I want to let everyone know that this chapter and its content was planned from the very start and reviews had no bearing on its creation. The real challenge I have is making sure Castle stays like Castle even though he has this history that isn't so bright and fun. That is what the goal of this chapter is. Nothing more to say really besides keep up the great reviews and as always feel free to drop me a line if you have anything to say. Enjoy!

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Chapter 20: Memories

As soon as their suspect cracked, information poured out of him like a broken dam. Quickly they learned the location of where his allies were staying, but that was about all that was useful. He confirmed there were twelve other Iranians and a Russian, but he had no idea of the identity of the Russian or why they were after Castle. Unfortunately it looked like they had gotten someone on the bottom of the totem pole, but considering they pulled him off of a surveillance task that wasn't surprising.

After using chloroform to knock their captive unconscious again, Castle told her she could call Esposito and Ryan to pick up the suspect. Nodding her head as he moved towards the bathrooms that they had seen earlier, she pulled out the burn phone. Normally she would argue that they should verify the suspect's information before releasing him, but sending him off to Ryan and Esposito wasn't exactly letting him go either. Dialing the number of the phone that they gave Esposito she waited for him to pick up.

"Yo boss what's up?" Esposito's voice asked from the other end.

"Got a suspect for you," she said without preamble rattling off the address of where they were. "You two can come pick him up anytime, but I suggest bringing him a clean pair of pants unless you want your car to smell."

Whistling in appreciation Esposito's voice was downright cheerful. "Great, I can't wait to see the look on the face of these FBI agents when we haul in an actual suspect."

Laughing along with him she told him she would keep in touch before hanging up the phone. Quickly checking on the suspect she made sure to verify that he was still unconscious before going to look for Castle. While on her way to find him she took some time to consider what exactly had just happened and how she felt about the entire ordeal.

Seeing Castle work had been something that she knew she would never forget. The man she once only saw as a fun loving, carefree, immature author had been colder than anyone she had ever seen. That didn't even take into consideration his interrogation techniques, which were not only incredibly frightening, but also downright illegal in any lawful situation. While watching him even Kate hadn't been sure if he would have been willing to go all the way if the man refused to talk. Even helping him by participating in the entire charade had made her feel sick to her stomach and just physically dirty. Then again holding a rat may also had contributed to the latter feeling as well.

One thing Kate did know for absolute certain was that no matter what she would never have allowed Castle to go through with any type of physical harm to their suspect. Intimidation and threats to scare the man may be one thing, but if Castle had tried to cross that line to actual physical torture Kate would have done everything she could have to stop him. She was a cop first and foremost, and no matter how distasteful it was, her job was to protect everyone no matter who they were or what they had done in their past.

Still walking in the direction she had witnessed Castle walk in she stopped when she heard a vaguely familiar, but unexpected, sound. It sounded like someone was vomiting. Running towards the sound she turned the corner into a bathroom only to witness Castle bent over losing the contents of his stomach into a sink. Hurrying to his side she put her hand on his back and began to rub comforting circles as he struggled to regain control.

Completely confused by the entire matter she stood comfortingly with Castle until he regained control of himself a few minutes later. Eventually he turned on the sink and began to wash his face while drinking some water and spitting it out. Not understanding what had actually happened, and hoping that Castle wasn't getting sick, Kate waited until he was ready to give her an explanation. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long.

Lifting his head to look at her reflection in the mirror above the sink Castle saw only patience and understanding in her eyes. Kate wasn't sure if it was the look she was giving him, the patience and understanding she had displayed in going along with him, or just even the new closeness they had begun to exhibit ever since they fell into the Hudson. Regardless of what it was Castle apparently made the decision that what he saw enabled him to feel comfortable enough to open up to her.

"It was a few years after I had just started as a field op. I was tasked with the rescue of a fellow agent, a friend actually, that had been taken prisoner by a Russian intelligence agent. When I eventually found where they were holding him and stormed the place to rescue him I was already too late. They had begun torturing him and that rat gimmick we just used, let me tell you it is an infinite amount times worse to see the aftermath. When all was said and done he was in such bad shape that there was no chance of him living long enough to even leave the room. I tried to comfort him for the last minutes of his life, but his death wasn't going to be quick. I ended up putting a bullet in his head after he asked me to end his suffering… it was the hardest thing I've ever done," Castle admitted, his voice barely a whisper as pain laced it.

Not knowing what to say at such a personal revelation Kate did the only thing she could think of, she hugged him. Stepping up behind him she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head between his shoulder blades. As soon as she made contact she literally felt the tension start to ebb out of his body. She could only imagine how hard that interrogation must have been for him, especially since he was using a method he had seen happen to someone he knew.

Still a part of Kate was glad to see his reaction, albeit a small part, because it meant that he wasn't the monster that he had appeared to be minutes ago. Despite what he had done and seen in the past Castle had not been tainted by it. His reaction to actually threatening to use a torture method on a person, who probably deserved it, meant that he was incapable of becoming a monster. That realization was a very large relief to Kate, because until this moment she had been worried that the Castle she knew before this entire mess was not the actual Castle.

Feeling the tension continue to ease out of his shoulder Kate gave him a minute before saying, "Ryan and Esposito are on the way to pick up the suspect. We have to get moving."

Hearing him sigh he turned so that he was facing. "I just want this all to be over so we can go back to our normal lives of chasing normal killers," Castle confessed.

"Oh I don't know about that Castle. I like learning more about you, even the not so good parts. Before this entire mess I didn't realize that while you always tried to find out more about me I never tried to figure you out. Now that I am peeling off some layers of the Castle onion I don't think I can stop," she said smiling up at him.

"Addicting isn't it?" he asked, a smile now coming to his face in turn.

Happy that she had helped pull him out of his funk she began to pull out of his arms. "Come on Castle, as much as I wouldn't mind seeing you manhandle Ryan and Esposito again I don't think their prides can take it," she said with a teasing glint in her eye.

Chuckling at her statement he nodded his own head before grabbing her hand and turning to head away from the building. "You're gonna have to remind me to figure out a way to make it up to them. Let's go see if we can find some terrorists."

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	21. Infiltrate

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Ok I meant to update this much sooner, but then as I finished it the first time I got distracted and then my laptop shut down and I lost it. I know my own fault, but that is why it was delayed so now that it happened I won't be doing that again. I loved the reviews for last chapter and these next two are going to be a bit more action packed for all you adrenaline nuts =D. Feel free to drop me a line in a review or PM if you have anything you want to say I appreciate comments of all kinds! For everyone who reviews anonymously I do read your reviews but since you aren't registered I can't respond to some of the better ones. So register and I will shoot you a reply if you make a long comment. Now enjoy!

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Chapter 21: Infiltrate

Sitting side by side next to Beckett in the back of a cab, Castle was still a bit shaken up. He had spent over a decade burying his past and trying his hardest to forget some of the more horrific sights he had been witness to. In just a few days all of that came crashing down and he was firmly thrust back into a past that he didn't think he would ever be a part of again.

Since it all began, and he realized that the threat to his family was very real, Castle had been going a mile a minute. When he had first left the precinct he never expected the detectives of the 12th to have such a dogged pursuit of him. Sure he knew they would find his initial cache, but from there he thought he would have been lost in the crowd and have free roam to figure this entire thing out before turning himself in. Never did he expect Beckett to catch up with him at the docks, and he was still astonished at how well she did against him while they were fighting.

From that moment Castle had been shocked by Kate, and she continued to impress him every second after. From the way she had fought with him to the interrogation they she had seamlessly flowed into, she was truly extraordinary. Never had he expected her to keep pace with him so effortlessly, and each time she showed that she was his equal it stole his breath away. Her absolute trust in following his lead was nothing short of humbling.

It wasn't until after they were done interrogating their suspect that Castle truly saw how Kate perceived him. Until that point he was worried that she was only going to see a monster that did awful things in the past, a man that wasn't worth being around. He was so sure that the interrogation would be the thing that pushed her over the edge, but still she surprised him.

When he was deciding how best to interrogate their suspect he was positive Kate would do everything to keep him from doing it. Because of that he intentionally left her in the dark until the last moment so that she wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. Of course that wasn't the entire reason, not by a long shot. Threatening that man with that rat had brought up memories so horrible Rick wasn't honestly sure he wasn't going to lose it then and there. When he bought the supplies he thought he could go through with it if he had to, after all it was going to be done with the intention to save his family. As soon as he saw the fear in that man's eyes he knew he didn't stand a chance of following through and he had been so grateful that the man broke when he did. After that it took all of his willpower to make sure the guy was unconscious before rushing towards a sink and losing the contents of his stomach.

Kate though had been absolutely extraordinary throughout the entire ordeal. She had easily slipped into character right along with him, and then she had trusted him enough to go play out his threat. Afterwards, when she found him puking his guts up, she wasn't full of anger at him leaving her out of the plan, or even disgust at what he had threatened to do. Instead he saw patience, concern, and a look had prompted him to tell her what exactly had happened so many years ago. Ultimately the entire ordeal had ended up bringing the two of them even closer together.

Taking a break from his musing Castle looked up and saw they were almost at their destination. Looking over at Kate he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. It was time to catch some bad guys.

**(BREAK)**

Stepping out of the cab with Castle Kate felt his arm slip around her waist as they began to stroll lazily in the direction of their destination.

"We are just a couple walking down the streets of New York, oblivious to anything but each other. Fit in by standing out," Castle explained under his breath so that only she could hear.

Smiling to herself, since she knew that they could just as easily blend in without looking like a couple, Kate slinked her own arm around him as she leaned closer. Walking closer to the building she stayed focused, looking for anyone that fit their profile as they headed down the opposite side of the street. Thankfully walking along with Castle required almost no thought since it felt so natural to do. _That_ was a thought she wasn't going to even get into right now.

"Look muffin aren't these displays just beautiful?" Castle asked her, purposely using a disgustingly sappy term of endearment.

Pinching his side with the hand that was around him, Kate smiled at his slight yelp. She would be damned if she let him get away with calling her that without some kind of payback. Turning to look at the display she noticed that they had actually stopped because the glass they were in front of offered a perfect reflection of the building that their suspects were in.

Studying the reflection of the building Kate could tell that it was most likely abandoned. Windows on the side were broken and those that weren't had boards over top of them. Despite that, she could still see some light shining from within that was a clear indication that while the place was abandoned, it wasn't necessarily unoccupied. Glancing at Castle she noticed he was seeing the same thing.

"Call the boys?" she questioned, letting him know that an official take down was her preferred method. It was great to play super spy for a bit, but when it came to these types of situations she wanted as much firepower as she could get at her back.

Shaking his head he answered, "No time, look."

Sweeping her gaze back to the reflection she saw a car pull up and three men leave the building and get inside, one was most definitely Russian. Watching the car pull away with their prime suspect Beckett felt Castle tense up at the sight. She couldn't blame him considering they had just gotten their first glance of the man that so desperately wanted Rick dead. Still looking they watched as one of the men who had come out went back inside.

"Looks like they are clearing house. Think they know we got our hands on one of their own?" Beckett asked.

"Probably," Castle said as he turned to walk across the street.

Grabbing his hand and pulling him back Kate asked, "Where do you think your going?"

"To make sure they don't all get away," Castle said trying to pull his hand out of her own.

Yanking him back towards her she grabbed his jacket before pulling his face close to her own. "Not without me your not. We are in this together Castle remember that," she said with conviction, letting him know that she had his back.

Smiling at her words he grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street this time. For anyone observing the pair they would have only noticed a couple enjoying each other's presence as they ran across the street hand in hand.

Leading Kate into the alley Castle stopped them at one of the side doors. Testing the handle to confirm it was locked Castle bent down and quickly set to work picking it. Beckett in the meantime slouched suggestively next to him against the wall, looking like she was waiting for him to open the door so she could jump him. In actuality she was observing both ends of the alleyway to make sure that no one would come and surprise them. Finally after hearing a click of the lock they both slipped inside.

Pulling their silenced pistols from underneath their jackets they looked at each other. Exchanging nods to reassure each other they were ready, Beckett let Castle take point. She may have more experience infiltrating buildings and rooms since she did it as part of her job, but Castle had more experience doing it silently and without being seen. Simple fact was that cops went in loud since identifying themselves almost always intimidated the people they were after.

Noiselessly, the pair moved through the first floor, slowly but surely sweeping the rooms for occupants as they went. Beckett was glad that it appeared the Castle had some formal training in the matter. Sweeping rooms was a process that law enforcement had down to a science, and if you tried to do it with someone who was inexperienced they were more of a hindrance than a help. Castle, thankfully, was competent in the matter even though she could still see he wasn't as good as her or the boys. That would make sense though since being a CIA operative probably meant he didn't work much with teams.

Slowly, but surely, they cleared the first floor and made their way to the second. Moving down a hallway they saw a light coming from a room and the faint sound of voices coming from it. Nodding to each other they slowly crept in the direction of the light, still making sure that the rooms they passed didn't hold anyone.

Coming up to the side of the door Kate heard the voices from within. The language was definitely foreign, most likely Middle Eastern, but other than that she couldn't understand a thing. Furthermore, since the language was so different she couldn't even tell how many people were in the room. Looking towards Castle she saw him with an ear cocked in the direction of the voices, intently listening.

After a minute, maybe two, Castle held up two fingers and pointed in the room to let her know the number of people inside. Nodding her head in confirmation the two of them stacked up ready to enter. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she tapped Castle on the back and they burst into motion.

Castle quickly moved into the doorway and into the room with Kate right behind him. As soon as Castle got within the doorway Kate heard a muffled retort from his pistol firing. Stepping past him and to the right she saw a man move to reach for a rifle. Squeezing the trigger she felt her pistol kick back as a crimson bloom suddenly appeared in the man's leg causing him to fall to the ground. Trusting Castle to be able to take care of his man she rushed towards the yelling man and kicked the gun near his hand far out of reach. Aiming her pistol at him she saw him freeze in fear, a commotion behind her was all the indication of how Castle was doing.

A dull thud silenced the noise behind her and then, to her relief, the sound of zip ties being used let her know Castle had subdued his man. Walking up to the guy she still had her gun trained on, Castle began to rapidly fire questions in the language that she had heard when they were outside the room. Having no clue what was being said, and not wanting to give that fact away, she kept a penetrating glare on the man along with the aim of her weapon.

Even though she couldn't understand them, she did understand Castle and from the look of it he wasn't hearing what he wanted. Giving up he gagged and tied the man up before standing up next to her.

"Get anything good?" she asked.

Shaking his head he answered, "He refuses to talk and all I could get was that they aren't the only two in this building."

Cocking her head in question Castle elaborated. "He tended to brag a bit about us suffering when the others found us."

"Plan?" Kate asked not wasting time on anything besides what she needed to know.

"We go find the rest," Castle said, giving an evil smirk to the suddenly sweating man gagged on the floor.

Together the turned and walked out the room as silently as they entered. Kate was still nervous; she was whenever she was in a dangerous situation. Looking at Castle's back as he moved in front of her she knew that he had her back and she had his. Right now in this abandoned building looking for terrorists, well that was all that really mattered.

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	22. Assault

Diclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: This took a it longer than I expected, partially because of the detour I did with "Hypocrite" which was to me just a way to vent over how the last episode ended and Kate blind sided the boys. Thanks everyone for the great reviews they really have been so solid that it is unbelievable. I will say that I won't have another update til after Monday for two reasons. One because I will be out of town all weekend, and two because of how I feel about the show. I love Castle so don't even think that is the case because that is just plain blasphemy. However after watching some sneak peeks and looking back at some episodes I have grown to have a concern about the leads. Specifically I don't believe that character growth is happening equally between them. I won't go into anymore detail here because this story is not about that at all. Just suffice to say that right now I don't have a ton of inspiration but I hope that changes after Monday. Frankly with Castle right now I am in a bit more of an angsty mood. However, even though that is the case I absolutely REFUSE to let you guys/girls down by not updating his story. Frankly you have all been too kind for me to treat you that way and come hell or high water I WILL finish this story and update at a reasonable rate. Seriously you all have been way to supportive for me to do anything less but give you my best quality work as fast as I can. Once again thank you all so much.

Tons of Action in this chapter so I know a lot of you will enjoy it. These two almost writer their own ass kicking scenes I have to say! Any comments, concerns, suggestions, or compliments send my way. I will be happy to answer them or talk about any aspect of this story with any of you. Now as always enjoy!

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**Chapter 22: Assault**

Two down without incident, unknown number of suspects still in the building, potentially armed, backup non existent, and she was tailing an author who moonlighted as a CIA agent, or was it the other way around? Either way the cop side of Kate was telling her that she should be a veritable volcano of worry over what she and Castle were heading towards, but surprisingly that wasn't the case.

Moving through these darkened halls with Castle, Kate instead felt at ease and relaxed, like the calm before the storm. Knowing now that she didn't have to worry about him she knew that the reason she wasn't full on nervous was because, unlike her previous partners, she completely trusted Castle.

Ever since she had made detective the precinct had periodically tried to assign new partners for her with none of them lasting. They would give her men, women, veterans, rookies, gays, straights, single, married, and everything in between. Each and every one of them had all given up and quit within months of being assigned with her claiming the she was too obsessive and that she was so lost in her own work that she couldn't accept anyone who wasn't just like her. After awhile the higher ups just flat out gave up on assigning someone to her and instead just left her as she was with two detectives under her, a team of three.

Castle had blown that theory wide open and had shown that no matter how obsessive she could become, he would still be right beside her. Try as she might she couldn't shake him and even when she pushed her hardest his response had been to simply call her extraordinary. Sure they had their ups and downs but ultimately Castle had walked withstood that demons of her life and come out on the other side unscathed, and because of that she had grown to trust him with her entire being. That was why walking down the dark halls of an abandoned building, surrounded by deadly terrorists, she still felt at ease with him by her side.

Moving up another floor the amount of chatter they could hear increased by a sizeable amount. From the sounds of it this was the floor that housed the rest of the people that were staying in the building. The only problem was that it sounded like the voices were coming from multiple rooms. That did not bode well for them considering they would never be able to take on any single room without alerting everyone else on the floor to what exactly was happening. Not without killing the people at least.

Looking at Castle she could tell that he had come to the same conclusion, and from the looks of it had also discarded the thought of killing them as well. Thank God, that was one thing Kate didn't even want to even _think_ about Castle considering. However, that did mean they needed an entirely new plan because taking on all of these people without killing any of them was going to be very difficult.

They could try to bring them out into the hall or take cover in one of the room and pick them off as they entered, but looking at the walls Kate highly doubted that they would stop an AK-47 round. That meant getting trapped in a room would just let them fire blindly through the walls to try and hit us while we were unable to return fire, definitely not a good idea. Shaking her head Kate tried to think of some other way to either split them apart for easy take downs, or trap them together where they would lose their number advantage.

Castle broke Kate's train of thought with a touch on her arm. Turning to look at him Kate noticed him motioning her towards an unlit side room. Trusting his lead she followed him in to find that the room was completely empty with open doors to the adjoining rooms. Hugging one of the walls Beckett watched as Castle made his way to each door and peaked through to see if they were clear before coming back to address her.

"If we lure them into this room we can take them all at once," he whispered quietly as he began to unscrew the silencer from his pistol. "I'll fire a shot and we'll hide just through the door, when they all come in to figure out what happened we strike."

"What if when we ambush them they just start opening fire on us? Those walls aren't going to do us much good Castle," she hissed out, not really feeling the desire to die anytime soon.

Reaching behind his back he pulled out what looked sort of like a coke can and handed it to her. Turning the item over Kate realized that he had just given her a flash bang. Grinning at his plan she now realized that it wouldn't matter if they revealed themselves when they started taking their perps down. Flash bangs let out an incredibly loud sharp noise along with a blinding flash. The result was that it left the people in the immediate vicinity of it temporarily blind and deaf. It was a sensation that Kate had experienced firsthand during her training to become a cop. Sure it wasn't permanent only lasting a short time, but that amount of time would be more than enough if they used it wisely.

"After it goes off fire one shot before moving into grapple range, they won't want to fire and hit each other if they come too quickly. If they are Iranian military, like I think they are, then their hand to hand won't be nearly as good as yours. If they just turn out to be your run of the mill terrorists it will be even worse," Castle whispered giving her some last minute tips.

Nodding her head she started toward the door that was furthest from where the sound of their suspects originated from. Because it was on the opposite side of the room from where the Iranian's would be coming from the chances were slim to none that anyone would circle around and come through that door. Hopefully the position would give them a perfect vantage for their ambush.

Kate knew that a very large part of herself was scared that this was going to go horribly wrong and that neither she nor Castle would walk away from this alive. Another comforting aspect about being a cop was that she knew no matter how bad a situation became backup was always on its way. Now though it was just her and Castle and if anything wrong happened she knew that no one would come and save them.

Feeling a sudden tug on her arm she was pulled gently back around to come face to face with Castle. Pulling her into his arms he enveloped her in a hug that she found herself quickly returning. Kate Beckett was not much of a hugger, especially in situations like this, but with the fear that this may be the last time she was able to hold Castle she made an exception. Castle apparently had sensed her fears somehow and was quick to reassure her.

"Trust me Kate it won't be nearly as bad as it may seem right now," he whispered into her hair as he held her close. "We will both be ok. I have done this plenty of times and _never _before did I have New York's very finest by my side. Together they won't stand a chance."

Nodding her head and giving him one final squeeze she moved to get in position behind the doorway against the wall. While Kate knew that Castle's little pep talk was done intentionally to make her more confident, she found that it had worked wonders. Rick's confidence was infectious, and instead of worrying that something was going to go wrong, she felt secure that no matter what happened Castle and her would be able to handle it.

Calming herself Kate simply concentrated on keeping her breathing in control. She had learned back in the academy that the best way to calm your nerves before the action started was to just concentrate on breathing in and out. Hearing the resounding *CRACK* of Castle's pistol firing all of her nerves, worries, and fears vanished to be replaced with a calm confidence. Following the sound, Castle slipped through the doorway, already refastening the silencer to his pistol, and mirrored her stance against the wall on the opposite side of the opening. Already they could both hear that the voices had risen in volume and alarm and were rapidly approaching the room.

Hearing multiple men pile into the room she looked at Castle and waited until he nodded confirming her own thoughts that they had all entered the room. Pulling the pin on the grenade she tossed it into the room. Time seemed to slow down as she heard the bounce of the container against the floor. Not even seconds after she threw it a sharp loud *BANG* and a white searing light shown through the doorway signifying the blast had gone off. Even outside Kate was slightly disoriented which meant that the men inside had to be much much worse. While Castle and Beckett had prepared for the detonation, none of them would be so fortunate.

Looking at Castle she turned into the opening, taking aim at one of the closest men, and firing. Feeling the kick back of the pistol in her hand, Kate saw the bullet she had just fired rip through the shoulder of the closest man. Heeding Castle's advice she rapidly closed while trying to line up one more shot before she entered into melee combat. A muffled crack behind her and another man falling to his knees as a bullet entered his leg let her know that Castle had entered the room only a step behind her.

Moving forward Kate knew that she wasn't going to be able to line up a shot without taking a risk of fatally hitting one of the men. Instead she barreled into the group with her forearm leading at head level. Clipping one of the men right on the side of the head she completely leveled him sending him sprawling to the ground. Moving towards another one of the suspects she lashed out with her foot sending it into the man's stomach. Hearing a sharp exhale she knew that she had knocked the air from his lungs.

Hearing a sharp snap followed by a scream, that wasn't from one of the shot victims, she spared a quick glance in Castle's direction. Even with only a short glance Kate could tell that what Castle was doing would never officially be taught to her in her job as a police officer. It was definitely effective, but it was also just brutal.

After his first shot Castle had closed into melee range as well without taking another shot. Using his free arm he then grabbed and extended one of the other men's arms before swinging the butt of his pistol directly into the man's elbow. The crack had come from the shattering of the man's elbow under the impact of the pistol. Right before turning her head she saw him lower his aim and heard another muffled crack as Castle sent a round into the man's knee. Apparently Rick wasn't taking any chance of letting these guys get back up when he was done with them.

Turning her attention back to the two people that she had designated for herself she saw the first man she had hit on all fours attempting to get up. Two quick steps forward and she kicked the man in the face hard enough to make a professional soccer player proud. A crack and blood, along with some teeth, went flying into the air. Seeing the face of the man as he flipped up into the air and over, Kate knew that she had broken his nose by the way it was almost lying flat on his face.

Instinctively, right before her foot struck, the man squeezed the trigger of his sending rounds flying harmlessly into a nearby wall. As soon as her foot impacted the gun went flying to land and slide harmlessly across the floor. Seeing the man not even attempting to move Kate set her attention on the suspect she had kicked in the stomach.

Lying on his back clutching his stomach Kate moved in and dropped her knee against his throat and pushed. Making sure she didn't crush his throat she applied enough pressure that it caused him to drop his rifle and grasp her leg trying to get it off so he could breathe again. Seeing the man's eyes roll back in his head she felt him go limp under her. Laying her gun on the ground she pulled one of the plastic ties from her pocket that Castle had given her and quickly bound the man's hands. Unlike in the movies Kate knew that while cutting off the blood flow to a person's brain knocked them out, it also only kept them out until blood flowed back through the brain which would happen in seconds. As soon as she pulled the restraints tight she picked her pistol back up and turned to the man she had initially shot.

A muffled shot and a man screaming in pain let her know that Castle had effectively disabled his second man, which meant that the only two still in the fight were the two men they had initially shot. Turning towards the pair she was happy to see that neither was even contemplating getting back in the fight as the two were desperately trying to stem the flow of blood from their wounds. Breathing a sigh of relief she quickly moved to them and kicked their guns away, not wanting to take any chances.

Double checking the men she had taken care of she saw that none of them showed any signs of getting back up. Only when she was satisfied with her own handiwork did she turn to appraise the final results of Castle's. His first man was holding his bleeding leg still while the second was down with a shattered elbow and a bullet in his knee. Perhaps most gruesome was the third man though. From the looks of it Castle must have pressed the barrel of his pistol into the inside of the man's elbow and fired since the joint was an absolute bloody mess. Wincing from the sight of it the man was just lucky Castle hadn't been using a .45 or else he probably wouldn't have an arm below his bicep. As it stood the man would have to go through some serious rehab before he would ever regain use of that arm.

A huge wave of relief rushed over her as she saw that they had taken out all six of the men without suffering any harm themselves. Well she may have a tooth embedded in the toe of her shoe, but that wasn't exactly something she was worried about. Looking at Castle she quickly gave him a once over checking for any injuries.

Standing up, after he finished tying off the makeshift tourniquet on the arm of the man whose elbow he blew off, Castle's eyes quickly glanced over her checking for injuries as well. After seeing she was unhurt he gave her a grin and a thumbs up. Breathing out a sigh of relief she couldn't help herself from returning Castle's grin.

Looking down at all the suspects on the ground, and taking into account that multiple gunshots had gone off along with a grenade practically, Kate knew they weren't going to be able to drag any of these guys out to interrogate them. Both of them knew that the cops were most likely already on their way and it was probably going to be difficult enough for the two of them to get away unnoticed. Castle following her gaze got an even bigger smile on his face as he looked. After a few seconds he began to chuckle.

Arching an eyebrow at him in question Castle explained, "How pissed do you think Ryan and Esposito are going to be after cleaning up after us… again?"

Not being able to help herself, Kate laughed right along with him. Still chuckling she started to head out of the room as she shot back, "Come on Castle we better get out of here before they try to rope us into helping."

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	23. Clean Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Everyone thank you so much for your reviews they are just getting better and better as this story goes on. So I know this isn't a very long update and I apologize for that, and for the lack of updates this past week, but I was at a business conference and then my laptop's charger died so I was stuck. Now I am back from the conference and I have another laptop charger so updates are going to come back. BTW I really did enjoy the last episode of Castle and thought that Beckett's comment at the end was awesome (that should be spoiler free). I wanted to get this out for all of you to kind of psyche you up for tonight's episode! Also remember how I said I could have finished this story a long time ago, well that is kind of silly when you see what I have written since, but I think I could have managed it. Chapter a day and I would have cut corners and ended with this warehouse deal. However, since I decided to not do that this story is going past the warehouse and I fleshed out a lot of parts while staggering updates accordingly. I hope everyone likes the end result. Quick note in case you don't know GSW means Gun Shot Wound so if you see it don't be confused. As always feel free to comment, complain, compliment, discuss, question, or suggest ideas to me through reviews or PMs. Remember while I love everyone who reviews anonymously I can't respond to your great reviews, so if you want a response sign up and if you leave a big response I will definitely get back to you. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 23: Clean Up**

Roy just couldn't get a break. First his precinct's resident celebrity and consultant Richard Castle was found at a murder scene with a smoking gun. Dealing with Internal Affairs fallout of the incident had been a bureaucratic nightmare for him as Captain. Just as Roy had finished clearing that mess up the prime suspect, their very own Richard Castle, had managed to escape the precinct after seeing that word of his arrest had been leaked to the news. An associate of Castle's had filled them in on the fact that the author was actually an ex-CIA operative and much more capable than any of them had believed. From that point on it had been a merry-go-round of trying to find the author, that in the process left Roy with his best detective MIA and the Feds taking over the case completely. Suffice to say that the small flask of liquor he kept in his desk for emergencies was running low.

Just when they thought that they were completely out of the game, a friend from the 7th precinct had given him a call with a tip that a "gang shootout" may not have involved gang members at all. Wanting to check it out himself he had sent Esposito and Ryan ahead and had followed as soon as he could get away from the Feds that were circling his bullpen like vultures. Was it a bit underhanded to leave without telling them he had a potential lead, hell yes, but in his defense his friend had told him all of the suspects had been accounted for and secured and that as of right now it wasn't confirmed to be involving the 12th's case.

Stepping under the yellow police tape Esposito and Ryan moved to meet him as soon as they saw his approach.

"What do we got" Montgomery barked out knowing that eventually the FBI would catch wind of this soon. Roy wanted to know everything he possibly could before he was pushed out due to jurisdiction.

"Nearby pedestrians reported hearing multiple gunshots sounding from an abandoned building and called it in. Local uniforms got to the scene only to find eight armed Middle Eastern men inside," Esposito said reading from the notes he had quickly jotted down.

"But get this, uniforms from the 7th entered the building to investigate the reported shots and they found all eight of the men incapacitated with either gunshot wounds or broken bones. Turns out only one of the guys won't be needing a stretcher to take him out of the place. Paramedics have stabilized all of them, but haven't taken them away yet," Ryan added.

Moving into the house Montgomery followed the two detectives as they began to describe where they had found the men inside, and what they had found exactly. "Two were lying down here bound by plastic ties, each with a GSW to the leg. From the looks of it neither got a shot off. Casings for a 40 Smith and Wesson and a 9 millimeter were found on the ground, looks like one shot apiece," Esposito said describing the first room that had two blood stains in the ground.

"Victims were found with GSW to the legs like Esposito said, but one also suffered what appears to be a blow to the head that knocked him unconscious while the other was gagged. Things get really interesting upstairs," Ryan said as they headed out of the room and towards the stairwell.

Coming upstairs the trio entered a room that had blood splatters on the walls and floor, burn marks near the middle of the room on the ground, and what looked like teeth lying around. Looking at his two detectives for an explanation they didn't disappoint.

"Casings on the ground are the same calibers as downstairs, but this time different quantities," Ryan began. "9 millimeter and a 40 S&W by the doorway leading in, but from then on we have an additional two more 40 S&Ws. GSW for inhabitants in the room are one in a shoulder, one in a leg, third in a knee, and the fourth bullet the EMTs think was shot point blank into the inside of some unlucky guys elbow, all on different vics. Guy's arm was an absolute mess to from the looks of it the kind of thing that makes you want to…."

"Anyway," Esposito broke in shooting Ryan an impatient look, "From there it looks like things got physical. Guy's on the left side of the room clearly got the worst of it taking the shots from our 40 S&W owner. He also proceeded to break the elbow of the guy he shot in the knee somehow, probably before he ended up shooting him. On the other side of the room they may have been spared the same amount of bullet holes, but one guy got his nose broken so bad I don't even think its still on his face from the looks of it, CSU still can't find one of the dudes teeth."

"Uniforms at the 7th originally thought it was a gang shootout with the kind of damage that was scene, but Cap… CSU is saying that they think it was all done by only two people," Ryan explained, clearly still a bit in disbelief over the carnage that was wrought in the room they were in.

"Burn marks from the floor and the casing of Flash Bang in the room can explain how they got the drop on the six in here, no clue how they took the two down unaware below though. Could have been using silencers," Esposito guessed.

"CSU will have more to tell us when the ER pulls the bullets out of these guys," Ryan finished up.

Whistling between his teeth Montgomery was generally flabbergasted. He hadn't seen this kind of damage by such a small amount of people since he was a beat cop and had seen the aftermath of a Mafia enforcer's handiwork. "Information on the victims?" he asked wanting to get a clearer picture.

"Middle Eastern, speak little to no English, that they are admitting to at least, but check this one of their bags had an Iranian Rial inside of it. Looks like they could be the guys who got off the container ship," Javier said.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Ryan asked looking between his partner and the Captain.

"If your thinking that Castle and Beckett paid these guys a little visit, then ya I think we are all thinking the same thing," Montgomery said as he saw some commotion coming from the stairway. Seeing a flash of a dark suit he hurried to give instructions knowing that the Feds had finally caught on to the entire thing.

"Cooperate as much as you can, but remember we don't have any idea who may be involved in this and as far as we know Beckett is still missing and Castle is under protective custody understood?" Roy asked receiving nods of confirmation from both detectives.

Turning around the FBI agents had started to swarm the scene. Chuckling to himself Montgomery knew that this wasn't going to go easy. The Feds had already had a bee in the bonnet after Ryan and Esposito had brought in the suspect that they had picked up from an "anonymous tip". Roy knew that the two were in contact with Beckett and Castle, but as long as they didn't outright tell him he could deny that he knew anything of the sort to the FBI without any worry of political backlash for not cooperating.

He knew that if the FBI were pissed over the fact that two NYPD detectives who they had taken off the case brought in a suspect, then they were going to be livid over the fact that those same NYPD detectives had beaten them to the next scene in connection to the case. Roy watched as one of the FBI leads approached him, practically shooting lightening from his eyes at every police uniform he passed. Grinning Roy couldn't wait to see what the agent had to say.

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	24. Acting

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Been a bit since my last chapter but the reviews are sooo incredible it is ridiculous. Getting close to 400 which is spectacular, I remember when I passed 100 and was jumping for joy lol. Seriously you guys/gals are great and I am incredibly grateful for following this story and reviewing so much. This chapter is back to Castle and Beckett and is a bit more fun. Maybe inspired by last night's episode (which I thought was ok not spectacular but entertaining none the less) and the fun they had with that one. As always feel free to question, comment, complain, criticize, or suggest ideas in reviews. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Now enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 24: Acting**

"Well that was certainly fun," Castle said while walking next to Beckett down the busy streets of New York. They had left the sounds of the screaming sirens in their wake near a half hour ago, with both being confident that word of their latest endeavor would reach Montgomery and the boys soon enough.

"So where does that leave us for our next move?" Kate asked.

"Well unfortunately since we weren't able to stick around we couldn't get any information out of them. Looks like we will have to wait for Ryan and Esposito to learn something, and _if_ they do, we have to hope they can tell us what they find out. Also we have to hope that they can actually get any of them to speak which probably isn't that likely," Castle said, mentally thinking the scenario out loud.

"Why don't we just ask them to run the plates in the meantime?" Kate asked causing Castle to whip his head around her with a look of disbelief on his face.

"You got the plates from the car, but you didn't even write them down?" he asked his face stuck in a look of astonishment.

Chuckling at the look on his face Kate couldn't help peeling another layer of the Beckett onion away to tease him. "I wasn't always a detective Castle. One of the things that stuck with me from my time as a patrol officer was the knack for remembering license plate numbers since I used to run them so much. I didn't need more than a glance at the back of the car they were leaving in to see the plate number and memorize it," she said watching his face turn into a delighted smile at her words.

Laughing at the expression of a kid in a candy store she grabbed his arm and said, "Come on Castle lets find a spot to call Ryan and Esposito and have them run the number."

Starting to move away she was caught a little off guard when instead of following her he tugged her back towards him. Turning to look at him she saw that his smile had changed from delight to mischief, which to Kate was always a tip off that he had something up his sleeve. "I think I have a better idea," Castle said while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her down the street.

Smiling Kate couldn't help but shake her head. She wasn't sure if it was adrenaline from the entire ordeal in the abandoned building, or if it was just Castle's childlike glee that was still amazingly intact after living the life he had. Either way Kate was glad that she was here with him and that she was seeing this new side of him. Sure she had loved the old side, but for some reason this new part of her seemed to fit right in without a hitch.

Wrapping her arm around his waist she leaned into him as he led them down the street. Usually Kate's control freak side hated not knowing what was going on or where she was heading, but for the first time those feelings were noticeably absent. That is when she realized that with Castle she felt completely safe, and as long as she felt that she really didn't care where he led her.

**(BREAK)**

Walking into a local DMV Castle looked around, glad to see that the place wasn't overly crowded. Grinning to himself, and with his arm still around Beckett, Castle headed towards the one open DMV attendant.

"Just play along and act like we are super rich," he whispered to Kate as they strolled towards the lady at the desk.

"You are super rich," Kate whispered back causing him to chuckle.

"Hello," Rick said using every ounce of his charm to make the greeting as warm as possible.

Looking up from the desk the lady grunted out a greeting of her own, clearly not as excited as he appeared to be about the conversation.

"We kind of have an odd request and I know it will sound kind of weird. See my wife here saw this great car that she absolutely loved today, I mean it had this custom paint, rims, and interior the she just adored. Unfortunately, before we were done getting coffee the owner returned and drove away and I didn't get a chance to talk to him. Well my sweet pea here absolutely has to have it and was able to get the plate number. We were wondering if you could maybe help us with getting the contact information for the owner so we could see if he is interested in selling, and if not what kind of options were on the car so we could get one just like it. Isn't that right muffin?" Castle explained glancing at Kate who he could already tell was going to pay him back for this _entire_ conversation later on.

However, even though she had to be broiling inside Kate didn't miss a beat. Going along with the blond hair that was already on her head Kate moved right into ditzy, airhead, rich bimbette mode. "Oh My God! You just would not believe the color of this car and these cute fuzzy dice on the mirror thingy in the middle. The seats were such a beautiful color and perfectly match my little snugglepuff at home who just loves to ride in the car with me in his special little doggy purse. NOT TO MENTION that all of his outfits and mine would be spectacular with it. I cannot begin to imagine how adorable we will look driving through Times Square together," Kate said clearly laying on the appropriate tone of voice while twirling her hair with her free hand. Her anger though was clearly apparent to Castle as the hand around his waist progressively tightened with each word.

Looking up from her compute screen it was apparent that the woman at the desk was not happy to have been the target of their rant. Using a calm, but equally annoyed, voice she proceeded to lecture them, "The Department of Motor Vehicles is prohibited from giving out the personal information of drivers and it is in fact a crime for me to do so. I'm sorry I can't help you."

Throwing on his best charming smile Castle played his trump card. Pulling out a wad of cash, which had to be around five grand, he discreetly slid it in front of himself so that the hundred at the corners was clearly visible. "You see my pumpkin here really loves that car and I would be more than willing to compensate you for the time it took out of your day," Rick said slightly bouncing the cash as the now wide eyes of the attendant followed its movement.

Gulping slightly at what was probably a good percentage of her annual paycheck the DMV worker whispered out, "Sir are you attempting to bribe me?"

"Just making sure my pookie gets what she wants," Castle said using his most charming smile.

Looking around nervously to see if anyone had noticed what was going on, the lady slipped an envelope onto the counter in front of Castle before instructing, "Slip the money into that and I need the license plate number and a few minutes."

Putting the money in the envelope Castle slid it back to the lady as Beckett squealed, "Oh thank you soooo much you have no idea how happy this makes me."

Hearing that sound out of Beckett Castle almost did a double take to make sure a doppelganger hadn't come in and taken her place. Kate Beckett did not squeal _ever_. Apparently she wasn't adverse to it during undercover missions, definitely something he filed away in the back of his head for future reference and for his next Nikki Heat novel. Somewhere vaguely he heard her rattling off the license plate number as he was caught completely off guard by her again. How many layers where there to the Beckett onion anyway?

Hearing some tapping on the keyboard the DMV worker interrupted his musings. "The car is owned by a Charles Davis from Manhattan New York," she said tearing off a sheet from the printer next to her she folded it before passing it across the counter towards Castle. Opening it he glanced at it briefly seeing that it was the contact information page for the owner of the car they were looking for. "All of the information you need is on that page."

"Thank you so much you made my cutie pie here so happy. Come on dear lets go get the car you want," Castle said throwing a smile at the lady behind the counter once more before turning with Beckett still tucked under one arm.

Beckett meanwhile let out a little giggle of excitement as she practically tried to drag him by the waist out the front door as if she couldn't wait. Heading out the door with a final wave of thanks it wasn't until a few blocks later that she let him have it.

Untangling herself from him she turned towards him and punched him in the chest, hard! Yelping in pain Castle took a few steps back so that he wouldn't fall over as he started rubbing his chest, damn if she didn't pack a wallop. "What was that for?" he asked as he eyed her warily afraid she would attack him again.

"Muffin, pumpkin, cutie pie, POOKIE!" Beckett yelled out at him as anger flashed behind her eyes. Taking a step towards him she held her finger right under his nose. "It took every ounce of my self control not to shoot you on the spot in there. I swear to God Castle if you _ever_ call me those names again I will shove your head so far up your own butt that you'll need the Jaws of Life to get it out."

"Hey it worked didn't it, and this way we won't even need to worry about the FBI asking why Ryan and Esposito are running a plate number that they don't know about," Castle explained as he held his hands up trying to calm her.

Seeing her resolve slip as she admitted to herself that his ploy did in fact work, and that was decent logic behind it, Kate bit out her response, "Fine, but next time you get to play the airhead arm candy while I bribe the person for information."

With that Beckett spun around and began to storm down the street. Castle gulped at the bullet he dodged on that one. Hurrying to follow her quickly retreating form he was struck with his next dilemma. How the hell did he tell Beckett she was going the wrong way without her taking his head off?

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	25. That is Hot!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: So I am alive despite multiple questions and messages sent to me lol, have no fear. The question does come up though why I haven't been writing at my normal clip. Well there is a multitude of reasons but essentially they boil down to this: Work is busier, real life had a time consuming situation, and the show has lost some of its sparkle to me. Work just got busier nothing to be elaborated there. Real life I recently purchased a new car and had to acquire new loans, insurance, and was busy negotiating the best interest rate I could get with the banks. Never having done this before I must say it takes quite chunk of time out of a persons day lol. For anyone curious I purchased a 2008 Saturn Sky Redline and it is one hot car that I am completely in love with and that I got for an incredible price. As for the show well if anyone frequents the Castle official boards you can see all my arguments for how the show has lost some of its sparkle for me (I post as MigalouchUD). If you are curious pop over there and see some of my rants, agree or disagree its up to you lol.

Anyway I wasn't going to abandon this story and now that I have more time I will be getting back into the swing of it. I won't be updating as often as I used to, but I will update more regularly than this last one. I have been blown away by the absolutely positive feedback for this story and the 400+ reviews that you have all left me. Thank you so much for sticking with me and just hang in there as we start working towards the end, definitely past halfway lol. As always feel free to comment, ask questions, make suggestions, or start a dialogue with me about the show or my stories because I am more than happy to respond to your reviews. As always enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 25: That is Hot!**

The handle of the door slowly turned before being gently pushed open, allowing enough space for two glove clad people to squeeze through one at a time. Weapons raised the pair began to mechanically sweep the rooms for any threats of signs of life. Quietly and efficiently the house was swept until one of them stumbled upon the bathroom upstairs.

"Dammit! Castle get over here I found him," Beckett called towards the spare room that Rick had ducked in moments before.

Coming up behind her into the bathroom Castle saw what Beckett had found. Rueben Wallace, the owner of the car that Kate had identified their suspects driving away in, was lying in his bathtub with a bullet hole in his head. Sighing in absolute disgust over such a needless death Castle knelt down next to the tub in order to inspect the body.

"As soon as we are done here I am going to call this one in," Beckett said as she squatted down beside him scanning for any signs of evidence.

"No argument there. We should probably leave this room alone so the boys can process it without having to worry about us messing with any of the evidence," Castle said in complete agreement.

Doing one final sweep with their eyes and coming up empty the pair stood and carefully exited the bathroom, being certain not to step on any potential evidence.

"So they break in, kill the homeowner, and then steal his car? That just doesn't make any sense to me," Beckett said clearly not following the logic behind the entire matter.

"Exactly! They just got off a boat probably hours before coming here, how would they know that he didn't have friends or family that would check on him? I mean maybe they assumed they would find me in a short time but still that is leaving a lot to chance," Castle said trying to work out the scenario mentally.

With that Beckett's face lit up in the way that let Castle know she had just thought up a great idea. "What if they knew him?" she asked, excitement in her voice.

Receiving a perplexed look from Castle Beckett elaborated, "Think about it Castle. We're already dealing with a former Russian spy maybe he knew Mr. Wallace before he came over. Maybe Reuben Wallace wasn't always Reuben Wallace."

"Kate are you saying what I think you are saying? Is Kate Beckett seriously implying that Rueben Wallace may in fact be a KGB sleeper agent and that is why our suspects knew to come here?" Castle asked with complete awe and excitement, slowly leaning closer to Beckett the entire time.

Moving right into his personal space Kate got a small grin on her face, "Well Castle if the shoe fits."

"God that is hot," Castle said before quickly moving in to close the gap. His mouth was suddenly attached to hers and Kate found herself quickly moaning in appreciation allowing his tongue to slide against her own. Grabbing his hair she felt herself melt against him, completely forgetting for the moment exactly where they were.

Time lost its meaning and Kate couldn't tell if it was seconds, minutes, or even hours before she felt him pull away causing her to whimper slightly. Opening her eyes, which she had no memory of shutting, she saw Castle looking at her with a slight smirk of joy on his face.

"I don't think I will ever look at theory building the same way again," he said slightly breathless.

Laughing at his statement, she couldn't even begin to argue against it because he was completely right, theory building would never be quite the same.

Smacking him on the arm while pushing him away playfully she said, "Ok Casanova lets go see if we can find any evidence in the house before the body starts smelling." Turning she walked away making sure she swung her hips a bit more than usual knowing exactly what he was looking at. Smirking Beckett could almost feel the large smile growing on Castle's face, he really was too easy sometimes.

**(BREAK)**

About ten minutes later, as they were poking around the newest victim's office, Castle was the one to hit pay dirt. "Found something," he called.

Turning around from the bookshelf she was currently looking through she saw Castle crawl backwards out from under the desk where he had been searching. Seeing his head pop up with an impish smile he slowly raised a thin manila folder into view. Beckett, seeing that he had something tangible, left her search to come stand beside him at the desk.

Flipping open the folder the duo were met with old documents that were all written in Russian. These definitely didn't fit with the life style of the everyday American citizen Rueben Wallace. "This isn't fair," Castle said with a pouting tone.

Arching her eyebrow Kate couldn't help but ask, "What isn't fair Castle?"

"It's not fair that the very first crazy theory you come up is absolutely right," he said looking at her with a sad face that looked like it would be home on a seven year old child.

Laughing she smacked him playfully against the chest, "I guess I'm just that good Castle."

Turning her gaze back to the document Beckett realized her ability to read Russian was seriously rusty. Even though she couldn't read most of it she was able to get the gist of it and realized that this paper was written at least a decade ago. Turning to look at Castle she shot him a slightly confused look.

Seeing her confusion Castle didn't mention it as he began to fill her in. "Looks like this guy really was a Soviet sleeper and has been here for about 20 some years. That makes sense why he hid it in his desk, back when he was trained he wouldn't have known about portable x-rays that can be used to scan desks for hidden documents like the false back he had in his drawer."

Flipping through more papers Castle took a minute before giving his analysis. "Looks like he was just a low key agent that was just intended to gather general info on the United States, these types of agents aren't really that uncommon and he probably was never meant to infiltrate any high ranking government agency. Mainly these papers are just reports of the financial situations of the New York state government with some more detail than you would find on the news, nothing too dangerous," Castle concluded still flipping through the folder.

"So our mystery spy may have known him and if that is the case then it explains how he knew that he could come, kill him, and no one would come looking for the body for awhile.

Castle nodded his head slowly as he mulled over the idea, "That would explain a lot time frame wise. Our mystery spy had to have been around the same time as me, and this sleeper probably was deployed to the US shortly before or after the collapse of the Soviet Union."

"So what's our next move?" Kate asked.

"Not quite sure actually, we definitely have them on the ropes with only four of them left. However, nothing here seems to be able to give us a lead as to where exactly they are and how we can find them," Castle admitted with a shrug clearly not having come to an answer yet.

Deciding to pick up the slack that Castle's background hadn't covered Kate came up with the next idea. "Well let's get the boys involved. We can call in this murder and notify them the car is missing and the possible spy connection. They can put out and APB on the vehicle and maybe even track it down if it has a GPS or tracking system in place," she said.

"Sounds good but we just have one slight problem," Castle said in a serious tone.

Looking at him in surprise Kate waited until he continued.

"Ryan and Esposito are going to want to take my head off when they see me," Castle said with a mock look of panic on his face.

Chuckling to herself Beckett smacked him in the shoulder before walking past him. "What do you mean we? That's your problem Castle, not mine," she said smiling to herself as she listened to his squawk of protest as she began to dial the boy's number.

**(BREAK)**

The boys were sitting in the bullpen looking through the windows of the Captain's office and cringing at what they saw. Roy Montgomery was completely and utterly going off on some young beat cop and by the looks of it the kid thought he was going to die in that office. Needless to say Ryan and Esposito were finding the whole thing not only justified but hilarious as well.

Lanie was just walking up when she saw the boy's attention riveted on what was going on in the Captain's office. "What is exactly going on?" she asked just coming up to the scene.

"Captain finally found the guy who leaked Castle's arrest to the press," Esposito said very shortly.

"And he isn't letting him off lightly," Ryan added with a look of glee at the young guys misfortune.

Snorting in irritation Lanie slid up next to Javier and leaned against the desk and him. "Serves the little punk right for putting us through all of this crap. I swear if he doesn't come out of that office in tears I will make sure he doesn't leave this floor with a dry eye," she said not only irritated but also furious with all the trouble this dumb guy's mistake had put them through.

Chuckling in appreciation of Lanie's ferociousness the partners were cut off when a cell phone began to ring inside Ryan's jacket. Looking at each other they both quickly got up uttering a quick "got to go" to Lanie before heading towards the back stairwell.

Completely confused by their actions, and now standing at their desks alone, Lanie hurried after the duo wondering why exactly a cell phone ringing would cause such strange behavior. Just as they were entering the stairwell she jogged the last few steps and slipped through the rapidly closing door and right in front of the pair.

"Lanie!" Esposito cried out in surprise to find that she had followed them so quickly.

Ignoring his exclamation she just nodded towards Ryan's hand which now held the ringing phone, "You gonna answer that or do I have to do it for you?"

Looking at Esposito and shrugging in defeat Ryan activated the speaker and answered the call, "Ryan."

"Ryan, I got another body for you and Esposito," Kate stated not even bothering with a greeting just rattling off an address before hanging up.

Shifting their gazes from the phone to Lanie they could tell the ME was absolutely pissed. Kate, her best friend, had been doing god knows what with god knows who and this entire time she hadn't contacted Lanie once to let her know she was ok. The last Lanie had heard was that she went overboard a container ship into the Hudson with Castle. Sure she knew she was alive because of the suspect she had heard Castle and Kate had left for Ryan and Esposito but still that didn't exactly count.

Turning her gaze towards the boys she let her glare show that she was not in the mood for any type of compromise. "I am going with you two and I swear if Kate is still around when we get there I am going to smack her so hard her dad is going to get knocked out," Lanie said her anger and frustration seething out of her.

"I'll meet you in the parking garage," she said before she spun around and exited the stairway probably on her way to collect her bag from the morgue.

"Dude should we warn Beckett?" Ryan asked still slightly terrified of their small but deadly ME.

"Are you kidding? Watching Lanie go off on Beckett will be like watching the entirety of shark week in fifteen minutes. Epic dude, purely epic," Javier said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Turning the two headed down the stairs towards the parking garage.

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	26. Response

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Everyone I want to thank you all so much for the astonishing amount of reviews I have gotten and let you know they truly mean a lot to me. Heck when sends me an email notification for each one I save them in my email so I will always have your kind words. Thank you all so very much. Well storywise I got this chapter out much much faster than the last one, and while it isn't super long I hope everyone is happy with it. I could have made everyone wait more and extended it, but I figured you guys/gals could use an update. On a bright note I already feel the next chapter rattling around in my head so that one should come out quickly as well! Many of you all had the same idea in mind that Beckett and Castle were going to be waiting for Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie. Come on I couldn't be that predictable and just let them meet like that, they are spys afterall! FYI for this chapter Beckett and Castle do know more than the cops regarding the latest victim so don't worry about that it will be explained next chapter. Also the chapter title is in reference to how when cops follow up on a call they refer to it as responding, incase it is slightly confusing. Now as always feel free to comment, question, criticize, and suggest any and everything through a review or PM. I hope you enjoy this 26th chapter to my story!

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**Chapter 26: Response**

Pulling up in front of the house that Beckett had given them the address to Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie exited the squad car and headed up the stairs. Looking at one another, and with a quick word for Lanie to stay behind him just in case, Esposito raised his hand and knocked on the door which caused it to swing open.

"Open door," Ryan said pulling out his side arm knowing that they now had probable cause to enter the premises since they were officially acting on an anonymous tip and now they had an unlocked residence.

Silently the pair slipped into the door with their guns raised sweeping the rooms for any sign of a threat. Sure they all suspected that Kate and Castle had already gone through the place, but after the week they had been having they didn't want to take any chances.

Sweeping through the rooms, with Lanie staying well out of their ways, the pair checked every area until they came to the bathroom. "Lanie it's clear, and it looks like your needed in the bathroom," Esposito yelled out.

Hearing his voice she hurried with her bag to where his voice was coming from until eventually she walked into a bathroom only to see a body lying in the bathtub. Contrary to everyone's belief just because she was a Medical Examiner didn't mean she didn't wince every time she saw a dead body that had clearly been murdered. The bullet hole in the center of their latest victim's head was more than enough evidence that this had been a intentional, and lack of a gun lying around make it pretty clear that it wasn't a suicide either. Still she had seen crazier things so the first thing she did after donning a pair of gloves was to check for a pulse just in case.

Finding nothing she sighed out before saying, "Call this one in boys I'll get started on the initial examination. I bet this is going to be a fun one to explain to those FBI suits how you two once again got another lead to this case."

"Not sure it's a lead yet. I mean ya Beckett called it in, but until we can find something linking this to our other murders and events than it's a stand alone," Ryan said as he and Esposito moved to head out of the bathroom and look through the rest of the apartment in more detail.

Waving her hand in dismissal, since her gut was clearly convinced this was just another piece to the puzzle of the Castle myth, Lanie got down to work.

**(BREAK)**

Hours later after fully canvassing the scene and all three being scolded by the FBI for not sharing information, and getting half heartedly lectured by Montgomery on the matter as well, Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie were finally done with the crime scene and the body was headed back to the morgue.

Sighing in exhaustion Lanie broke the silence as the three headed to the car, "I can't believe they kept me here to question when they sent the body back over an hour ago. Don't these people know that my job isn't here in the field but back in the morgue?"

"Ya well look on the bright side Lanie, at least your getting a free lunch out of it," Esposito said referencing the fact that he and Ryan offered to buy her lunch since they felt guilty for bringing her out here and getting reprimanded.

"Mhmm and that is only the start of what you owe me," Lanie said subtly giving Esposito the eye while Ryan was rounding the car to the driver side.

With a huge grin on his face Esposito almost didn't hear Ryan. "Well at least they didn't threaten to put a tail on you if you withheld anymore information. And would you two stop having eye sex! I swear you guys are as bad as Castle and Beckett," Ryan said causing the Detective and Medical Examiner to look at each other with embarrassment.

Getting into the car it was a long awkward minute before Esposito worked up the nerve to talk again. "I'm kind of surprised we didn't see Castle and Beckett there. I mean sure they haven't in the past but I kind of got the impression we were going to see them there when we went through the front door."

"For her sake she is lucky that she wasn't there. When I get my hands on that girl I am going to give her one hell of an earful," Lanie said still clearly upset that she was left in the dark so long.

"Well they have been pretty busy Lanie. I mean its only be a few days since Castle escaped and this entire thing started off. Heck instead of making sense its only gotten more complicated since. Last week we would have all laughed at the idea that Castle could take care of himself, let alone be some super spy. Here we are days later and me and Esposito have both gotten our butts kicked twice to prove how wrong we were," Ryan said as he pulled the car into the parking lot of a diner that was on their way.

"Bro, not cool," Esposito said looking at him with a face of disapproval.

"What? It happened he mopped the floor with us twice, heck the second time we looked like a couple of fish floundering on the deck handcuffed together. Not our proudest moment but no reason to try and pretend it never happened. Besides, you know when Beckett and Castle come back after this is all over we will never hear the end of it," Ryan said just shrugging his indifference at Esposito's hurt pride.

"Doesn't mean we aren't going to make him suffer for it though," Esposito said.

"Dude of course. He won't know what hit him when we're through," Ryan said as they exited the car and started into the diner.

"I swear the two of you are just as bad as a couple of college frat boys," Lanie said shaking her head before fully laughing out loud over the proud smiles that formed on their faces at her words.

Getting a table they sat down and ordered their drinks before moving on to more important matters, specifically the most recent development in their case.

"I still have no idea how Castle and Beckett found that place, or how it's connected to everything else we have been looking into," Esposito said, still clearly a bit confused on the entire issue.

"I know it would be just like them to stumble onto a murder vic like that, but why did they call us and what do they know that we don't?" Ryan asked.

Stirring her iced tea Lanie had to agree with the two in the fact that they were stumped. Unfortunately she could only do a preliminary exam on the body and it was now waiting at the morgue for her to do a full autopsy to look for anything suspicious. Frankly though even she wasn't sure how this one was connected to their case. Beckett called it in sure, but all they had found was a body with a bullet hole in its head and that was it. There wasn't a single clue as to how it was connected to what Castle and Beckett were involved in.

"I don't know you think they made a mistake and just found the wrong guy?" Esposito asked the two of them clearly still struggling with finding the connection.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me that if I'm not around you guys just give up that easily," A blond woman said as she plunked herself down into the booth while a dark haired man slid in beside her.

Doing a double take Lanie couldn't keep the surprise and questioning tone out of her voice, "Beckett? Castle?"

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	27. Meeting Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Definitely glad I got this out for the holiday and I want to wish a MERRY CHRISTMAS to EVERYONE! Thank you guys/gals so much for all of the praise that you have given me regarding this story. You truly make writing each and every chapter rewarding for me and I truly treasure every review. Heck I've gone back and read through them all on more than four occassions! Thanks to everyone and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season! Ok chapter is up the inevitable showdown between Lanie and Beckett. I'm not a girl, soooo I kinda went with my gut on this one based on Lanie's personality. If its not believable the fault is my own and I am really really sorry. This chapter was fun to write and I hope you all have fun reading it! Thanks again for everything you guys have done by sticking around and reviewing my story. As always feel free to comment, criticise, suggest, or just plain discuss anything with me regarding this story through a review or a PM. Thanks again and enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 27: Meeting Up**

Sitting there watching the look that Lanie was casting towards Beckett now that her surprise had abated, Castle and the boys felt like they were watching a car accident. They truly wanted to look away but there was something so horrible fascinating about what was about to happen that they couldn't turn their gaze. Not to mention that they were concerned Lanie was going to pass out with how red her face was getting.

Kate for her part didn't even need to be a detective to know that she was in an enormous amount of trouble, and from the one woman who wasn't intimidated by her no less. Praying that she could defuse the situation before it started Kate began to try and talk her best friend down, "Listen Lanie I can explain you see…"

"How the hell can you explain Kate? How can you explain that you left me wondering what the heck happened to you, even thinking that maybe you died while you were in contact with Ryan and Esposito the whole time!" Lanie yelled causing some of the other patrons to turn their heads and look at them. Thankfully the place wasn't very crowded during this time of the day since it was an off hour lunch.

Opening her mouth to defend herself Lanie just rode right over her, "No you don't get to talk, you had your chance and you didn't take it! I can't believe you sat there and let me think the worse. Didn't you think that I was worried that something bad had happened considering the last I heard was that you flipped over the edge of a boat into the river IN THE MIDDLE OF FALL!"

Working her jaw, and looking completely stunned, Kate was having trouble coming up with an appropriate response.

Lanie wasn't in the mood to wait for one apparently. Shoving Esposito out of the booth and to the ground, eliciting a yelp of surprise and pain from him, she slipped out and was next to Beckett smacking her in the arm, her verbal lashing not even pausing. "You better think twice before jumping into the river and not calling me as soon as you got out of it. Of all the stupid, dumb, idiotic things you have ever done this one BY FAR takes the cake and that hair color comes in a close second!"

Beckett wincing in pain, Lanie was by no means weak, was surprised all of the sudden when the assault on her quickly turned into a bone crushing hug. Shocked at Lanie's sudden change in demeanor, Kate couldn't help but return the hug that just oozed with relief from the Medical Examiner.

"I swear if you ever do that to me again I will hit you so hard you won't be able to go back to work for a month," Lanie whispered in a shaky voice, completely conveying exactly how worried about Kate she had really been.

Nodding her head against her friend's Kate watched as Lanie pulled away while quickly wiping away a tear that had formed in her eye. Looking away from her best friend Kate could see that all of the boys were completely stunned. Heck Esposito was still on the floor leaning on one of his elbows.

Sliding back to her seat in the booth Lanie looked at Esposito arching her eyebrow. "You gonna stay down there all day?" she said with an amused tone, completely free of her earlier enraged tone, causing the Detective to pick himself up and get back into his seat.

"How are you not dead?" Castle asked looking at Kate, still completely flabbergasted with what just took place.

Shrugging her shoulder dismissively Kate's response was simple. "Why would I be dead? I swear you boys get so dramatic sometimes it reminds me of high school girls," she said, causing all of the men at the table to look at her as if she had just sprouted an extra head and a pair of horns to go with it.

Looking at Rick, and rolling her eyes at his still flabbergasted expression, Kate got back to the point of why there were there. "Anyway we stopped in because we need a bit of info on the latest victim," she said looking at the Detectives and Medical Examiner.

Shaking off their stupefied look, Ryan as the first to recover, "Not sure what you want to know boss. We didn't find any evidence that suggested it was anything but a random murder. Heck we don't even know how you guys connected it to what's been going on, but until we find evidence of a connection we can't do anything."

Seeing Kate cringe at his words they watched as a smile spread across Castle's face. "Told you they wouldn't find it if we put it back," he said looking at Kate with a satisfied smile on his face.

"That's because I wasn't there. If I wasn't gallivanting around town with you there is no way that would have been overlooked," she gritted out clearly unhappy over something.

"Uh huh, I'll believe that when I see it. Either way it doesn't count and you owe me twenty bucks. I even gave you ten to one odds too!" Castle said nudging her with his shoulder playfully. Needless to say the other three members of the table were still not only confused, but also completely amused at the more than friendly interaction that was new to the Castle Beckett dynamic.

As Kate was grumbling to herself about stupid authors that were also stupid CIA agents Castle clued the other three in. "Look closer at the desk, specifically underneath it. I don't want to tell you where to look but there is something in the desk that will be more than enough to tie it to the murder of Felicia. Just make sure you have someone on hand that reads Russian," he said in a way of a hint.

Finishing with her internal rant Kate jumped into the conversation. "We also need a trace on the guy's car because we know whoever is behind all of this has been in it. I'm guessing it's probably already been ditched, but if we can find it we may be able to figure out where he was or is going," Kate said as Castle nodded in agreement beside her.

"Also it would be a bit of help if you can pour over in detail the stuff you find in the desk since we didn't have the time to go through it all. Chances are most of it won't be useful but you never know," Castle added, this time with Kate nodding her agreement at his words.

Lanie, who was finding the way they were unconsciously mirroring one another very amusing, asked, "And what do you two super spies want me to be doing while the boys do all that?"

Looking at her slightly in surprise Castle was the first to speak. "Umm… keep being awesome?" he asked as much as stated clearly not know what to say.

Kate not even wasting a glance in his direction backhanded him in the chest earning a yelp in return. "Lanie we need this case airtight. Go through the autopsy and see if there is anything we missed. Miss Monroe was poisoned and we almost missed it, this latest Vic could have suffered the same thing. Either way when this all plays out we need to double up on our facts because I don't want to see any of these scumbags walking," Kate said with a determination in her voice that they all knew meant she wasn't going to let this one get away from them.

Nodding her head Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie watched as Castle and Beckett got up. "We'll be in touch," Beckett said right before she turned with Castle and followed him as he walked behind the counter and through the kitchen, presumably through the back door.

Looking on, still slightly confused over the whole matter, it was Esposito that eventually broke the minute long silence. "How James Bond was that?"

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	28. Listening In

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: 464 that is the number of reviews I have gotten for my story and still I am completely and utterly shocked at such a large positive response. Honestly when I first wrote this I thought I would get like 100 max, but you guys/gals have just been so incredible it means so much to me. In honor of that I hearby bequeath another chapter on our very own Castle day! This one is definitely full of fun and a little more light hearted. I want to point out so people remember, since it's been so long since the start, that everything we learned watched season 3 isn't known in this story so some things that is introduced as new information is actually new info for the characters. I am really happy with this, and actually did rewrite one section because it got over complicated. I hope everyone enjoys this and the action, and inevitable conclusion of what is going down is coming up! I am actually surprised that no one has guessed why they are after Castle since I technically did give it away earlier in the story, if you know to look for it =D Anyways like always feel free to comment, question, criticize, discuss, or just plain old bug me in a review as I appreciate them very much. Now Enjoy!

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**Chapter 28: Listening In**

"You know they aren't going to be able to give us anything right Castle?" Beckett asked as they walked out of the back door of the diner and immediately turned towards the nearest subway station.

Subways, according to Castle, were horrible places to go if you were being followed actively since the destinations were very specific, however if you weren't being tailed they were a great way to travel without anyone like a cab driver remembering your face or leaving a paper trail. Beckett had thought walking would be safer herself, but Castle had quickly pointed out that there were thousands of cops patrolling the streets looking at the people walking along them while subways were very sparse in comparison.

"I thought partners had each other's backs no matter what. You know like when Esposito was covering for his ex-partner during that entire corrupt Internal Affairs officer case," he asked while wrapping his arm around her slipping back into their cover of being a couple. That was another of Castle's disguise tips, drawing attention to yourself but on your terms. When she called him out on it being from "Wedding Crashers" he had jokingly said that they must have had a CIA guy on staff since he had learned it back in the 90s. Either way it did seem to work since no one glanced at them twice when they walked by, and so far no one had even hinted that they recognized him as the celebrity author that he was.

"We do care about each other, and if this was still an NYPD investigation we could count on them. The FBI getting involved and looking over their shoulders is going to make it way too hard for them to try and slip us any information without putting their own jobs at risk, not to mention possible jail time. They know I wouldn't want them to ever do anything like that and that if they even try I would turn myself in just to kick both of their asses," Beckett stated plainly with a little exasperation.

"Oh yea I completely forgot about the FBI since they haven't really been around that much," Castle said with a little far away voice.

"I figured," Kate sarcastically commented. "Now if the boys try making any type of inquiry into where the car is the FBI are going to know immediately and be swarming the place before they let Ryan and Esposito out of their sight to even make a call to us. Not much more we can do without our own leads or getting to the place before the cops."

"Well… Beckett what if I was to say we could figure out where that car was parked as soon as they do?" Castle asked looking and sounding slightly nervous.

Glaring up at him Kate's voice was level and demanding, "Castle! What. Did. You. Do?"

"Well you know how I may have had someone lift Lanie's x-rays and leave a couple of phones lying around in the precinct?" he asked receiving a nod from her in return. "Well I may have also had some bugs placed on each of your desks."

"You bugged my desk!" she demanded leveling her patented glare in his direction.

"Well in my defense you three were trying to hunt me down and arrest me at the time, and besides I had Esposito's and Ryan's bugged too," Castle said looking quite a bit like a kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Where did you put it Castle?" Kate forcefully asked even stopping to stare him down.

"You know those Russian nesting dolls on your desk? Well there may be a listening device in one of those," he said looking at her trying to appear as innocent as possible.

"The minute this is over you will remove it from my desk and you better make damn sure I am around to watch you do it, understood?" she asked in a threatening tone moving her face inches from his own.

Nodding his head Castle watched as Kate turned around and headed back towards the subway entrance. Breathing a sigh of relief Castle knew he was lucky. While the bugs on Ryan and Esposito's desks were in fact new, the nesting dolls on Beckett's desk had been there for months. He had placed them there the case after he had introduced Kate to Agent Gray. Part of it was done because he had been reminded briefly of his secret agent days, but another part was because he wanted to be sure no one from the agency tried to contact Kate to inform her about his past. Thankfully she didn't seem to remember when he had given her those dolls or he would be royally screwed.

Suddenly Beckett stopped in her tracks and went stock still. "Wait a minute. Castle those dolls have been on my desk for MONTHS!" she yelled turning to look at him.

And now he was royally screwed.

**(BREAK)**

An hour or so later the two of them were sitting in a parking garage, only a few hundred yards from the precinct, with their heads together sharing a pair of earphones. After Beckett had given him a thorough dressing down about giving her gifts that had hidden meanings, and then about invading her privacy, the two had stopped at another one of his locations to pick up a few choice items before heading over to the 12th. Specifically they had picked up the receiver for the bugs and then a racing bike that Castle had in storage.

Kate had been a bit taken aback when she saw the bike sitting there in mint condition, because frankly she couldn't picture Castle owning something like it. Seeing the bike had caused her to talk about her own, and then in jest comment on how between the two of them she had the more manly bike. Castle's response, while initially defensive like she had expected, had perfectly turned her own comment around on her.

_*FLASH*_

"_This sure is a nice bike you got here Castle, but I am surprised you went with something so girly," she said teasing him about the fact that he had a racing bike._

"_Girly! Kate there is nothing girly about a Ducati," he said with a huff of protest._

_Laughing at how he was taking it as a shot against her pride she couldn't help but slip in some of her own personal information. "Compared to my Harley Softtail your bike kind of makes your look like a pretty princess. I am just surprised you didn't go with a more manly bike like an all American Harley, after all you can't beat the noise of a Harley," she said with a flirty tone and a teasing glimmer in her eye._

_Instead of trying to defend himself and back pedaling like Beckett expected Castle instead got a cocky little teasing grin on his own face before leaning in and saying, "I think the 70 extra miles per hour of my bike more than make up for all American noise of a Harley don't you?" _

_*FLASH*_

That statement hadn't left her much wiggle room to argue with him, after all her Softail barely broke 100 while his bike was rubbing up against 200. Even Kate had to admit it would take much more guts to push the Ducati to its limit compared to her Harley. Either way she had definitely appreciated his offer to go riding with her sometime when this was all over. In the meantime having her arms wrapped around his muscular torso as they leaned into turns together was more than enough for her at the moment.

Her thoughts were interrupted however when she finally heard Esposito's voice from the other end of the earphone she was listening in on. Finally he seemed to be in contact with the company that ran their latest victim's car's GPS system and they were running a trace. Hearing that he was put on hold Kate asked Castle what they were going to do next.

"Ok let's say that he says the address out loud, then what are we going to do?" she asked.

"Chances are the cars been dumped already, but that doesn't mean they were very thorough in how they got rid of it so we can search it real quick. Between the fact that we have a bike that doesn't make traffic an issue, and that they will need to mobilize a team just in case the killers are at the car, we should be able to get to the car before they do. As for how I know Esposito will say the address out loud, well you probably noticed he has that annoyingly consistent tendency to always double check an address with whoever gives it to him," Castle explained with a little smirk to let her know he was joking on his last statement.

Smiling in return Kate's grin only grew when sure enough Esposito reread the address back to the GPS company to make sure he had it correct. Popping the ear buds out she watched as Castle stuffed them back into his jacket before putting his helmet back on as Kate did the same.

"Ready to go check out a deceased spy's car that was stolen by terrorists?" he asked with a humorous grin on her face. Smiling she slipped her arms around his torso as he started the bike.

"Sure thing, that is if your girly bike can get us there before the cops," she said teasing him once again over his bike choice.

Her jesting was cutoff suddenly as he opened the throttle of the bike causing her to squeak in alarm and slap her visor closed before hugging his back as hard as she could. Pressed up against Castle's warm back Kate couldn't help but admit that a bike that could get from 0 to 60 in just over two seconds was definitely pretty manly.

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	29. Strange Feeling

Disclaimer: I do now own Castle ABC does.

A/N: So got this one out a bit faster than my last one! This one is a setup for a pretty exciting chapter that will be coming next week, one that will have some action adn that I am looking forward to writing! It is actually kind of funny how I got this out so fast. I saw an NCIS episode and I had this nagging idea to write a oneshot tag for an episode but then I stopped myself. There would be no way in a frozen hell I would write another canon fic without making sure my Castle readers got something new as well! So I got down and wrote this one and I hope you all enjoy it. Like always it hasn't been betaed but no one seems to complain to much so oh well. Feel free to comment, complain, criticize, suggest, discuss, or just plain PM to talk about the show as I am more than happy to field any questions. If you include a question I will be sure to answer it so don't hesitate to ask. As always enjoy the latest chapter!

P.S. The reviews ROCK keep em coming!

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Chapter 29: Strange Feeling

Castle handled the bike like a dream, constantly being in control and leaning just the right amount into the turns they make. Beckett was likewise the perfect passenger instinctively shifting her weight along with his, completely in synch, as they effortlessly moved through the busy New York City traffic. Based on the time they were making, by blowing through traffic and traffic jams by just riding in between the cars, there was no way that the FBI, Ryan, and Esposito would beat them to the address they were heading towards. In fact they were making such good time they should have a solid ten minutes on the scene without having to even worry about the team catching up to them.

Looking back Beckett had to admit this was one wild ride she was on. Never in a million years would she have taken someone serious if they told her Castle was former CIA a week ago. Now here she was on the back of his motorcycle speeding towards a car that was owned by a KGB spy who was probably killed by another former KGB agent who was for some reason after Castle. Keeping the entire story straight in her head was mind numbing, but somehow Castle had it all together and was constantly one step ahead of the game.

Coming up on the address she looked over Castle's shoulder and noticed the car they had seen earlier leaving the abandoned building parked in the corner of a lot by itself. Looking closer she verified that the plates were the same, and that this was the car they saw the men enter the day before. Nudging Castle she pointed in the car's direction letting him know where to head. Nodding his head in front of her he moved into a nearby parking lot across the street and turned off the bike.

Getting off the bike she moved to head towards the car when she felt him grab her hand. "Hold on a second we don't want to go rushing into this too quickly," Castle said holding her in place.

Taking a minute to look at the car and the surrounding area an itch formed between her shoulders. "Something doesn't feel right," she said not quite sure of the exact cause of her feeling.

Nodding his head Castle couldn't help but agree.

**(BREAK)**

Castle hadn't just thrown the boys a bone when he mentioned that they should take a closer look at their latest victim's desk, he has tossed them the entire skeleton. Ryan, Esposito, and the whole of the FBI working the case were amazed as they pulled out Russian KGB spy documents from the recently deceased's desk. Thankfully Castle had hinted to them to have a Russian translator on hand to tell them what the things said.

From there everything was bagged, tagged, and sent back to be processed by the lab guys after copies had been photographed for the agents and officers to examine back in the bullpen. Once back at the station a new flurry of activity had taken off as this most current act was deemed connected to their current case.

Listening further to Castle Esposito had called the GPS company of the car that their latest victim had owned in order to get its location. "That is off of Lexington and East 89th street?" Esposito asked the person on the other end to verify the address. "Alright thank you."

"Got an address on the car," he told Ryan as he grabbed his coat and started towards the conference room where the FBI where setup.

Ryan caught Javier by the sleeve. "Woah aren't we gonna give Beckett and Castle a call? After all they are the ones that clued us in on where to look."

"We can't," Esposito said turning to face Ryan.

"What do you mean we can't? When your old partner showed up I skipped the proper channels to help you out, how is this different?" Ryan asked.

Nodding his head towards the people in the conference room Esposito explained, "Because they're involved. Listen bro, I don't like it anymore then you do and you know I think of Beckett like a little sister, but the fact is the FBI is involved. If we try and skip past them with something like this not only will we be thrown off this case again, but then we could lose our shields for impeding this investigation."

Seeing Ryan open his mouth Javier was already guessing what he was thinking. "Don't get me wrong I'm not saying Beckett isn't worth it, because she is don't ever doubt that. But if she found out we were getting in the way of solving this case she would have both of our heads on a platter and we both know she could hand us our asses without a problem. I'm glad they tipped us off, but from here on out we do our job and we protect them by staying silent about this."

Ryan tilted his head as he mulled over what Esposito said and he had to admit it made a lot of sense. Beckett would kick their asses if they put their own careers and the case in jeopardy, and Esposito was right she could do it without any problems. Then again Beckett was basically their mom here at the precinct making sure that the two of them didn't take any heat even when they screwed up. Not only that but she was like their sister as well and they didn't want to see anything bad happen to her and they always had her back.

Coming to a decision Ryan nodded his head before releasing Esposito's arm. "Ok let's leave them out of it."

**(BREAK)**

The FBI had operated fast when they got the information where the car was, and based on how their latest victim was killed along with all the other info on the case they didn't take any chances. Within minutes the SWAT team that was on call was rolling with Ryan, Esposito, and the FBI field agents whom were fitted in their vests and armed to the teeth.

Driving their own squad car, Ryan and Esposito where near the front of the convoy. "I'm surprised that Beckett and Castle haven't called yet. She has to have known we would have run the GPS by now." Ryan said trying to ease some of the tension they were both feeling.

"Yea well count your blessings man because I do not want to be the one that explains to her how we intentionally left them out of the loop."

"Hopefully we'll have the entire case wrapped up by time she figures out what we did. It should be coming up in about a block, look for a…"

A deafening BOOM of an explosion erupted from nowhere causing Esposito to swerve his car to the side as the FBI car in front of them slammed on its brakes. Looking out the windshield they noticed people panicking as they ran for cover as tires squealed as the rest of the convoy came to a screeching halt. Checking to ensure they were ok they peered through the windshield trying to find what exactly had caused the noise. One block ahead of them a plum of fire and smoke was rising up from a parking lot high into the sky.

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	30. Boom Crack

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Wow 30 chapter, I never envisioned this story being anywhere near this long and here we all are. What is even more phenomenal is that I have around 500 reviews from all of you absolutely incredible readers. The fact that you take the time to not only read my work but then to comment on it blows me away completely. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to you all because without your input and feedback this story wouldn't be as good as it is today. Now I thought this chapter wouldn't take so long but then I got stuck in a bit of a block. Luckily I powered through it and we are back on track! Next chapter should be much easier to write and we are definitely getting to the home stretch. Next chapter will be a continuation of this one with more action for sure. Don't worry fluff will be in place later on so if you read for that rest assured! As always please review and let me know your thoughts on the story. If you have a longer thought I always try and respond and if you have any questions I always make sure to answer them. Enjoy chapter 30!

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**Chapter 30: Boom Crack**

Two men were sitting in a van looking down from the third level of a parking garage at a parking lot less than a block away. They were dirty, disheveled, and looked like they hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days. Their current job was not one to their liking, and after all that had happened they were very eager to fulfill their objective.

"_We should just kill him as soon as we can, this man is not worth all of this trouble,"_ one of the men said.

"_Our mission is to take him alive and to let the Russian find the location from him. We can kill him afterwards."_

"_Already we have lost too many of our allies to him. We should finish him and get it over with before we find ourselves in the hands of the government."_

"_That is not for us to decide."_

Lifting up what looked like a detonator the one man argued, _"It would be simple, all it would take is hitting this button and it would be all over."_

That is what the plan was at the moment. The two of them were to wait until the one called Richard Castle found the car, and then they were to call the phone inside. As soon as he was on the line they would instruct him where to go, with the threat of him not complying being the detonation of the car he would be sitting in. It spoke volumes to the desperation the Russian was feeling that he was willing to kill the man they had strived so hard to find.

"_He was not supposed to be this difficult when we came here. The Russian said that he was not a threat and that most of us were just for backup. Now look at us, most of our allies are already captured or dead and we have no idea if he is even coming."_

"_Patience brother he will find the car soon enough and then…"_ Interrupting the man's sentence a crash of the driver's window was heard causing the man to instinctively squeeze the detonator's trigger. Outside the parking garage a loud *BOOM* was heard as the car they were supposed to be watching was blown to smithereens.

**(BREAK)**

Kate had been the one to first see it and it was her first initial feeling of discomfort that had led them to look for it. Every cop instinct told her the location was a setup and when she spotted the parking garage conveniently overlooking the parking lot where the car was abandoned she knew that getting to close to it could prove to be fatal.

Castle knew that they had a limited amount of time, but it just went to show how much trust he had in Kate that he was willing to completely abandon the car and go with her gut instinct to search the parking garage instead. Moving through the levels they knew that if Kate's hunch proved to be wrong they would never be able to get back down to the ground level and to the car with enough time to even get a door open before cops and FBI agents were swarming the area. Thankfully her gut wasn't taking a day off.

Parked right near the edge was a nondescript van with two men sitting in it, and what was most telling though was that the van was in the perfect position to have a vantage point over the parked car below.

Looking over at Kate Castle nodded for her to take the opposite side of the van as he drew his silenced SIG and headed towards the driver's door. Walking up he looked through the side mirror and confirmed that the driver was definitely one of the men he saw leave the abandoned building and get in the car the day before.

Gripping his SIG Castle slid right in front of the side window and smashed it in with the butt of his pistol. What he had expected was the crash of the window being smashed in along with the glass showering in on the driver, what he hadn't expected was the loud *BOOM* from the parking lot below where the car was.

Instinctively flinching away from the noise Castle jerked to the side while turning in the direction of the noise just in time to witness a plume of fire rise up from where the parked car was below. Thank God Kate had noticed something off about the car or else they could have been in it when that bomb was set off.

Realizing that he wasn't about to get ripped apart from shrapnel Castle stuck his head back into the window to see his next challenge, the passenger hurriedly pulling an AK-47 up and into firing position towards him. Realizing he wasn't going to have a chance to get his own shot off Castle launched himself down and backwards just as the crack of a round being squeezed off was heard. Next thing he felt was a sledgehammer blow to the top of his helmet that he was still wearing as his head was propelled backwards into the concrete with a loud crack causing his vision to flicker for a second from the impact. Distantly he heard the sound of a window being broken as he assumed Kate had broken into the passenger window seconds after the shot had gotten off.

Scrambling to his feet Castle took the split second he needed to Thank God that he hadn't removed his helmet before he scrambled back to his feet and towards the driver's door. Looking back into the car he saw Kate slamming the passenger's head into the dashboard as the driver was scrambling for his own gun to open fire on her.

Reaching the pistol inside of the car, since he knew a 9mm wouldn't be able to go through a door reliably, Castle angled the barrel towards the driver's shoulder while he was looking towards the center console and fired off a round. The muffled crack from the suppressor was followed by the anguished scream from the man as he gave up his search for a gun and clutched his now bleeding shoulder.

Kate meanwhile let the guy go who now had a face covered in blood and looked at Castle to ensure he was ok. On the top of his helmet was a brand new streak that had left a gouge in the top of his helmet where the AK-47 round had struck then ricocheted off. If he hadn't thrown himself back at the last second there was a good chance the round would have punctured his faceplate and went right into his head instead of deflecting off the top of the helmet. Either way Castle didn't seem to be in that much pain as he dug the barrel of his gun into the man's throat and started shouting at him in Farsi.

Most of the man's response was unintelligible to Kate but if the guy didn't get the point that Castle wasn't screwing around he got it when Castle put the gun to his good shoulder and pressed it in hard. From all of his rambling Kate did manage to catch a name, a Russian name, Vasily Makarov.

After hearing the name Castle opened the door and pulled the man completely out of the vehicle. Kate quickly mirrored his actions on the other side and took the time to check the waistband of the passenger while she did so. The last thing either of them needed was for one of these guys to try and take a pot shot at them as they were getting back on the bike and leaving.

Meanwhile the sirens hadn't stopped and Kate was pretty sure that someone had heard the gunshot and they were going to be heading into this parking garage soon. Even if they didn't she knew the NYPD and the FBI were both competent enough to secure the parking garage in their perimeter search and they would definitely be found in that.

Leaving the two on the ground, one almost completely unconscious and the other writhing in pain, Castle signaled for them to head back towards their bike. They had made it about 30 feet before she noticed Castle wasn't walking as fast as her and he definitely wasn't moving in a straight line. Quickly coming up next to him to support his movements he filled her in.

"Got my bell rung pretty hard from that one," he said surprising her by admitting the first sign of weakness since this entire thing started.

"Come on Bond let's get on the bike and get out of here before the uniforms show up," she said as they came to stand next to the bike. Looking back she was relieved that the two men from the van were still lying on the ground and hadn't moved towards weapons or anything.

Castle was just about to respond when he saw flashing red and blue lights coming from lower in the parking garage. "Looks like we're a little late for that one," he said trying to stand straight and noticeably struggling.

"You better drive Kate I don't think I can get us out of the garage let alone lead New York's finest on a high speed chase," Castle said while motioning for her to get on the bike first.

Quickly straddling the bike she felt Castle get on behind her. Before she started the engine she tried to assess how bad he was. "You feeling nauseous or seeing double Rick?"

"I don't think I have a concussion just having a bit of trouble concentrating and my reflexes probably aren't at their best. Definitely not a good idea for me to be driving, besides you mentioned you had a Softtail now is as good of a time as any to see how well you handle a bike," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and jested a little to let her know he wasn't as feeling as bad as she feared.

Grinning to herself Kate could tell by the noise from the sirens that the uniforms where almost on top of them. Turning the key in the ignition she heard and felt the bike come to life beneath her. Seeing a police cruiser turn into sight Kate released the clutch and twisted the accelerator as the bike roared and they rocketed into motion.

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	31. Chase

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: So this one definitely took quite a bit longer than I originally intended and that was for a number of reasons. First I was having trouble figuring out how they would get away in a city like New York since there is basically an army of cops. Eventually I came upon a uniquely awesome idea that has quite a bit of truth in it, even though I can't verify all of the details. I will have more of an explanation in the footnote (which I normally never do) because I think the history is really awesome!

The larger part of the delay in this one is probably due to the fact that I am not the happiest camper regarding the show ***SPOILERS AHEAD***, and I feel like that isn't something that is exclusive to me. I got so excited about the two parter and how it was going to be a crossroads and the promos of them in the freezer together and Beckett sounding like she was going to say she loved Castle only to have the rugged pull out from under me. They got out and Beckett went right back to Josh, which I understand, but it was disappointing to see her do it with such ease and lack indecision regarding her feelings for Castle. Bottom line I didn't see any hesitation in her and that hurt my opinion of the Caskettness and the entire ideal that she is with Josh but really wants to be with him, I felt let down. If you check out my posts at ABC's site you can get a more indepth of what I mean (I post under the name MigalouchUD) so I won't get into huge detail. I posted a poll in my profile to see what you all think of the episode and in next chapter I will be sure to let you all know the results. So if you could take a second to vote I would really like to know your opinions.

Now regardless of my tffhoughts (which are more detailed than that as well) this story WILL NOT BE DISCOURAGED. I refuse to put it on hiatus and I fully intend to finish it because you all deserve nothing less. This chapter was a bit of a struggle between getting the right ideas (writing a chase scene is sooo fricken hard) and my feelings of the show. However your incredible awesome reviews and PMs of support got me through the tough time and you are left with a chapter that I think is great fun. Thanks so much for sticking with me and for all of your kind words of support. Remember if you want to say anything, good or bad, or if you want to suggest anything hit the story up with a review or me with a PM.

Thank you and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 31: Chase**

Accelerating quickly Kate knew their choices were a bit limited based on their location; after all there was only so many ways to get out of a parking garage. Thankfully the fact they were on a motorcycle instead of inside a car played to their advantage greatly while in a parking garage since they had a much more manageable size. However that size also came with the added risk that if they hit anything at even modest speeds the results would be deadly.

With that thought in mind Kate turned the bike to head away from the squad car that had just reached their level in order to head to the opposite down ramp on the other side of the garage. Racing away from the squad car she saw it skid to a stop right next to the van and the officers were quickly out and had their weapons trained on the two men that they had left incapacitated.

Kate knew that she and Castle were now in a bit of a predicament. Those officers finding the two Iranians meant that the parking garage was going to be locked down in a few short minutes, and if they had any chance of getting out it needed to be done quickly. There was also the fact that she was almost positive there would be at least one if not more squad cars in the garage as well, probably coming up the ramp she was going to be heading down.

Taking the turns at high speeds Kate she felt Castle press himself closely against her and lean accordingly to keep the bike balanced through her maneuvers. Thankfully his driving ability also translated to being a good passenger because she didn't want to have to risk trying to get out of this hairy situation with him leaning in the opposite direction as her and unbalancing the bike.

Racing down the ramp towards the exit Beckett saw the reflection of flashing sirens off the windows of some of the cars ahead of her. Watching as the glass caught the ever brightening reflection of an approaching patrol car Kate maneuvered the bike to the opposite side as the upcoming turn of the lane knowing that this next part was going to be close.

Watching the oncoming car Kate hoped she guessed right as she cut towards the turn moving from the outside in and hugging the inside of the turn. Hearing the siren blare in her ear as the patrol car took the turn too wide she blew past it to the shocked look of the two officers inside. Kate had banked on the fact that the cruiser was hugging the inside and when it turned it would be forced to take the turn wide, thankfully she had been right.

Now it was just down this last ramp and out of the garage. Looking forward as she heard the screech of the patrol car slam on its brakes in an effort to turn around Beckett noticed that the parking garage gate had just started lowering. With a car maybe that wouldn't be a problem, but on a bike if that thing went down they had no chance of getting through it. Twisting her wrist Kate opened the throttle all the way and the bike screamed in agony at being pushed to its absolute limit.

Crouching as flat against the bike as two people could when riding together; the pair rocketed out of the parking garage almost brushing their heads on the lowering gate at near full speed much to the surprise of the police cruisers and cops standing nearby. It wasn't everyday that people saw a bike going over 150 in the NYC streets and Kate couldn't even spare them a glance as she devoted her entire focus to not getting them into a life ending crash.

Rocketing down the street Kate let off the accelerator to get the bike back to manageable speeds and took a second to look into the bike's side mirror. Behind her she saw officers scrambling to get into their cars and a few pulling out to begin pursuit. Cursing to herself Kate knew that this was one of the worst things to happen. Leading her fellow NYPD officers on a high speed chase through New York City had a very high chance of not only injuring, but also probably killing some innocent bystander as well.

Debating on whether or not to just come to a stop and let themselves be caught so they didn't endanger any lives, Castle quickly pointed towards a side alley directing her to head towards it. Trusting his judgment, and hoping that he was on the same page as she was, Kate steered the bike towards the alley. Heading into it she saw that it was completely abandoned and actually forked off into another alley as well. Taking the unexpected turn in the alley Kate kept it moving at breakneck speed to try and distance herself from the police as much as possible.

Shooting out of the alley Kate cursed as she saw sirens were already coming from the opposite direction of the parking garage meaning that surrounding units were already responding. With cops behind them and now in front of them Kate and Castle knew their options were dramatically shrinking and that if they didn't come up with something soon then they weren't going to be able to keep running. Sure their bike was faster than the squad cars, and more maneuverable in city traffic, but even the fastest bike couldn't outrun the NYPD radio. Bottom line, if they didn't shake her fellow officers soon, and without getting anyone hurt while doing it, this chase was going to end up with them handcuffed in the back of a squad car.

Feeling Castle tap her arm he pointed her down a street that as of now was siren free. Looking in that direction Beckett shook her head noticing he was actually asking her to take them further downtown into the more crowded areas that definitely also had more of a police presence. Seeing her shake her head he tapped her again and pointed in that direction. Seeing that it was one of the few directions that didn't have cops in it, and since them getting captured wasn't really the end of the world anyway, Beckett turned the bike towards the heart of New York and sped towards downtown.

Sirens in the rearview mirror let them know that the cops were definitely on to them as Kate nimbly maneuvered the bike through traffic and steadily increased the cap between them and the police cruisers. Even with sirens the NYPD still had to wait for people to move and in New York the average driver wasn't the most considerate, even to the police. Beckett and Castle on the other hand had the luxury of only needing as much space as a bicycle and at their high speeds it was pretty easy to clear gaps that were much to small for the Crown Vics that their pursuers where using.

A rash of red lights ahead caught Kate's eyes and she groaned as she recognized the tell tale signs of a classic New York City traffic jam, even stereotypically filled with masses of yellow cabs. Thinking quickly Kate knew that she had a few options. One was heading down the opposite side of the boulevard and risking both of their lives if they were even clipped by a car, not to mention ensuring an accident even if they did get through unscathed. Option two was to slow down to a crawl and maneuver the bike through the packed row of cars, and while possible it would definitely give the police time to catch up with their sirens. Now hearing the sirens getting dangerously Kate decided on option number three and sped back up as she took to the sidewalk at the next intersection.

Because there wasn't too many people on the sidewalk, and since she was laying on the bike's horn, she kept a very quick pace down the street as she once again heard the distance between her and the squad cars open back up. Risking a quick glance backwards she saw the uniforms had reached the traffic jam and had slowed to a crawl as the taxis and cars struggled to move out of the way, one squad car had even followed her onto the sidewalk. Turning her gaze back forward Kate was still hoping Castle had some idea where the hell they were going because so far this entire head towards downtown idea just seemed like a horrible plan.

Still on the sidewalk Kate felt Castle tap her arm and point indicating to take the next right turn. Still trusting him Kate made the turn only to see a pair of squad cars with sirens flashing coming towards them. Feeling Castle tighten his grip on her in encouragement, Kate knew that this particular maneuver was not going to be easy. Because of the sirens the traffic was all but stopped with the only vehicles moving on the road being her and the squad cars. Heading towards him Kate had the advantage of knowing their playbook in advance.

For the officers the most effective way to stop them would be to simply hit them, but since they were on a bike that would be akin to using deadly force and unless they were putting innocent lives, or the officer's lives, in imminent danger that wasn't an option. Kate guessed they were going to use the standard procedure to try and stop an approaching vehicle, swinging their squad cars into a line along the street with the intent to create a barrier that would cause them to stop and give the officers time to exit and train their firearms on them. What the officers didn't know was that Kate knew the maneuvers they would use to execute that tactic and because of that she was very confident on how to blow right past it.

Slightly adjusting her steering Kate angled her bike towards one side of the road knowing that this was going to come down to a game of chicken and her reflexes. With the stopped cars on the street that meant the space available was shrunk in half of the roads width so she was going to have a very narrow window to hit if she didn't want to smack into one of their fenders.

Mere seconds passed as Kate processed all of that information and she tensed up her body as they rapidly approached the squad cars. With less than 100 yards to go the patrol cars started their turns which prompted Kate to change course from heading directly at the right car to going straight in between the two. Just as she expected each car swung wide and away from one another to try and block as much of the street as they could. However, since they turned away from one another, as they had been trained so they didn't collide, the officers left a small gap in between their cars. While it wasn't big enough for a car it was big enough for the bike they were on and opening the throttle even more Beckett and Castle shot the gap and whizzed by the obstacle.

Seeing an open stretch of road she opened the throttle to its limit to put some distance in between them, knowing that the squad cars making a barricade like that had just bought them some more precious time. Even though the officers behind them were setback a bit Kate knew that it was only a matter of time before more responding officers flooded the area and eventually cut off all of their escape routes. Just as she was considering either giving up or taking the bike into the nearest subway tunnel Castle nudged her again and pointed forward. Following his finger she realized he was pointing directly at the New York City Public Library.

Confused over what he was trying to say he nudged her again and reemphasized the direction and she heard him faintly yell, "Trust me!"

Deciding to once again trust him Kate took a ramp up onto the curve and stopped the bike right by the front steps. Feeling Castle climb off she cut the engine and climbed off after him.

"Let's go," Castle said as he turned towards the stairs and started to scale them at a dead sprint. Kate took one glance back at the streets before taking off after him. From her short glance she saw multiple squad cars from every angle converging on their position. It was either inside the library or being arrested on the stairs.

Going through the front door Kate followed Castle as he immediately took a turn towards one of the halls and continued at a sprint. Keeping pace with him Kate quickly lost herself in the turns and twists that he led her through until all she knew was they were definitely in the basement area, no one was in sight, NYPD officers would be scouring the building for them after finding their helmets they abandoned on a table, and Kate probably couldn't have retraced her steps if she tried.

Castle finally slowed to a walk causing her to do the same. While he slowed down he still continued with a determined and confident gait.

"Where are we going Castle?" Kate asked as she removed her own helmet and shook out her long hair.

"Have you ever seen 'The Librarian'?" he answered her question with his own.

"You mean that B movie about a guy who becomes a librarian but in actuality is some protector of a ton of ancient relics that are hidden in some secret passage in this library?" she asked completely confused about why the heck he would ask something like that.

Throwing her a grin that was a cross between amused and impressed he answered, "I'm surprised you've seen it. Personally the third one is my favorite since the character Simone reminded me of you." He said as his grin broke into a full blown smile. "Anyway the part that I always found amusing was the huge hidden room that was the vault for the artifacts. It's not amusing because it's so ridiculous, but because it is actually closer to the truth than people would think."

"Are you saying that the library has a huge underground room in it?" she asked. "Castle please tell me you didn't read this somewhere and are now trying to find it."

Hearing her concern he chuckled as he kept up his pace. "Remember how I told you during the case with the frozen girl that I spent a good part of my childhood roaming this building unattended?" he asked only continuing at her nod, "Well I, being of a curious nature at the time, regularly went exploring and accidently stumbled upon quite the discovery."

Stopping at a maintenance door and pulling a lock picking set out from his jacket he went to work while he continued his explanation. "What most people don't know or remember is that the New York Public Library is built on the foundation of the old Croton reservoir that supplied clean water to the city from the 1840s until 1902. Later on in 1940 the entire aqueduct system was completely drained, but the tunnels still remain," Castle finished explaining as a click of the lock was heard and he opened the door.

Kate couldn't help but feel a smile make its way to her face. She had lived in New York her entire life and she was still amazed at all of the old trivia about the city Castle knew. Even more impressive was when he was able to apply it in a useful way like right now. Following him into the room she heard him relock the door behind her before he once again led them down a series of corridors. The marble of the building transformed into old stones as they headed deeper and eventually came to stand before an old grate.

Kneeling next to it Castle grabbed it with his hands and pulled causing it to resist and then come loose revealing a hole with a ladder leading down. Thankfully Kate's experience as a cop had ingrained in her the habit of carrying a flashlight wherever she went. Grabbing hers from a pocket she looked over at Castle who was similarly armed with one as well.

"The tunnel runs about 41 miles total but it has access sheds every couple of miles or so for maintenance purposes. I figure we can pop up out of the nearest one a mile or so away and be gone before they even figure out where we went," he said before another grin overcame his features.

"So Beckett I know girls usually are all about the long walks on the beach but how would you feel if we switch the setting to an old abandoned aqueduct tunnel?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh at the gleam of humor in his eyes, and besides she had to admit for the two of them who were so entrenched in the world of the macabre, the setting was fitting. "By all means Castle lead the way."

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**A/N: Ok to clarify real quick the New York Public Library was actually built on the old Croton reservoir and I didn't even make a hint of that up. However I have no idea if the library has any type of access to it but I do know that it has been completely drained since 1940. Even some parts of the library are built around the old foundation soo I took some artistic liscence. Bottom line though is that there was a resevoir there and it had tunnels that led 41 miles away where water was collected and have since been drained. I can't verify if they are still there are if you can get into them from the library itself, but I hope you can.**

**Also if you noticed the reference I just couldn't let them be in the New York Public Library and find a secret passage without some reference to "The Librarian: The Curse of Judas Chalice" a movie that Stana Katic had the female lead in. I mean really that is just to hard to pass up!**

**Don't forget to vote in my profile poll!**


	32. Dark Confessions

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: Here is chapter 32 and for everyone that was looking for fluff I think there is quite a bit in here, especially the end bit. This chapter definitely delves into Castle's past and explains some things that we knew about, but not the details. I know it isn't as long as the last chapter but I think you guys/gals will live it more because after all it it Caskett! The reviews for last chapter were pretty spectacular and I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to leave one! This story really is something I enjoy writing mainly because of the great reactions I recieve from each and everyone of you.

Summarize what I think of the actual show and I think Monday's episode was a more positive step in the right direction, but there is still a good deal of ground that needs going. I was overall happy with it even though I thought the case was a bit disappointing in its simplicity (I figured out the killer pretty early on) but it had some fun moments. The only truly disappointing part of it was the fact that those longing hurt looks from Castle at the end of last episode, and any subsequent fallout regarding Kate's decision to stay with Josh, vanished in a puff of smoke. The continuity of Castle when it comes to Beckett and Castle's relationship is really lacking and I am not a huge fan of that. They do something one episode and it is _never_ mentioned again. Not exactly something that helps the love story when an angsty moment like the one in Countdown is forgotten. I expect Josh to be around until the season ends, and I pray the don't try and keep him until next season. BUT that is a conversation for the future and one I definitely don't want to have right now lol.

Poll results! 18 people took the poll I hosted which was whether or not Countdown was a positive step backward, forward, or no change in our DD's relationship. 8 people said backwards, 7 forwards, and 3 no change so overall its pretty evenly split on our thoughts.

Finally I am toying with an idea and I was wondering on what kind of feedback it would recieve. After the end of the this story (whenever that is going to be now lol) I was wondering if there would be any interest in my posting the director's cut so to speak. Essentially what I would do is go through the story and in **bold** I would type my thoughts of why I wrote certain parts or why I picked certain things or what not. Basically give you all a sneak peak into my writing process. Let me know if you would like to see that and if there is enough of an interest I think I would be willing to do that since it wouldn't take very much time.

Now as always feel free to comment, criticize, question, suggest, or just plain start a discussion with me regarding the show or my story. As always I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 32: Dark Confessions**

The New York Library was a veritable bee hive of police officers and FBI agents all with the intent to find the two people on the motorcycle that had fled into the building. Near 100 officers and agents where in constant motion doing room by room sweeps with the help of the library staff and so far they had come up with nothing besides two empty helmets.

Unbeknownst to the agents and officers Castle and Beckett where actually no longer in the library and were steadily moving further away from in an abandoned aqueduct tunnel that was part of the Old Croton Reservoir system from the turn of the 1900s. While the reservoir was torn down the tunnels were left intact and it was in these empty tunnels the pair walked hoping to find a maintenance access and exit back into the city.

"So Castle you come here often?" Kate asked bumping into his side with her hip and drawing a chuckle out of him.

"I confess this is my favorite place to take the girls. Nothing gets them going like a walk down an abandoned tunnel in complete darkness and full of God knows what."

"With an aroma like this I can't imagine how you've stayed single for the past couple of years. Heck if I knew about this I would have definitely made you one of my conquests after our first case together."

"And to think that this is actually the second place I had in mind to take you if you said yes," he said throwing her a smile while giving her a once over with the light from his flashlight.

As he was going oh so slowly down her long legs a loud smack emanated from the back of Castle's head causing her light to jerk away.

"Ow! What was that for? And even better yet how the heck did you manage to even hit me in this light?" he said exaggerating the whine in his voice.

"THAT was for the wandering eyes, and with a head as big as yours its hard to miss even without light. Now keep the eyes forward or next time I will aim significantly lower."

Hearing a yes ma'am, which caused another smack for referring to her as ma'am, Castle's light took a diligent path forward with its only deviation being to look for an exit.

After a few minutes it was Kate who uncharacteristically broke the silence. "Castle you mind me asking how exactly you got involved with the CIA?"

Chuckling at her straight forward question he only hesitated a second before answering, "Well it wasn't for the girls I can tell you that much."

"Girls not liking an international man of mystery? Come on your basically became James Bond are you telling me that you didn't use that to your advantage not once?" she asked in a scandalous tone of voice.

Outright laughing at her response Castle suddenly took more of a serious tone. "Honestly when I walked into the Marine recruitment office I didn't have the thought of a single girl on my mind. I was actually thinking more along the lines of getting a GI Bill and being able to put myself through college, but I guess the government had different plans. After taking the placement test to see where exactly I would fit in best they sent me home and told me to come back a week later. Next time I got there was a man in a suit behind the desk and he turned out to be a CIA recruiter."

Turning her head in his direction Kate gave him her undivided attention. "The pay was considerably better on top of getting a free ride to college after I was done, and I'll be honest it isn't like they suckered me into it by sugar coating what I would be doing for them like you see in the movies. They said my country could better use me as a CIA field operative and I agreed with them. Two years of training in languages, espionage, multiple forms of combat and marksmanship and I was sent out to the Russian and Middle East border because I had a knack for speaking the languages."

Stopping in his tracks he brought his flashlight up so both of their faces were bathed in light. "It started out as information gathering but eventually as the agency became more confident in my abilities it took more of a clandestine nature. I… I'm not going to lie Kate I have… killed people for this country and while a large part of me regrets it I would do the exact same thing over again given the situation because I know what I did kept innocent people safe," he said trailing off in a wistful and somewhat regretful tone. Kate could see the pain and regret for his actions in his eyes and the sight made her heart break at knowing how much what he had done still hurt him inside.

Returning a bit of a smile to his face in order to try and lighten the mood he continued, "Anyway after Desert Storm ended and the Soviet Union was well in its way to completely collapsing the agency didn't really need someone doing wet work in the area so they brought me home. Months later Meredith, whom I met through a friend of mothers, became pregnant and my writing career finally took off. When that happened I told the agency I wanted to be close to my family and my life as a clandestine agent ended. For the next ten years I did some intelligence gathering at formal events and the like that my celebrity status gave me access too, but since I had Alexis I refused to do anything remotely dangerous. After that I resigned from the agency and while I do keep in contact with some of my former colleagues I am officially and unofficially no longer connected to the CIA."

Taking the light away from their faces he started back down the tunnel and Kate moved quickly to keep pace. Keeping her voice soft, and slightly nervous at broaching the topic, Kate had one more question to ask. "Castle, Agent Gray mentioned that you never gave a reason for why you refused to go back into the field. I was wondering exactly what that was?"

His next words came out in the tone that Kate knew meant he had a smile on his face and after she heard them she knew why. "That one is actually much easier to explain, Alexis was born. When trying to defeat monsters sometimes you yourself have to become a monster and in the course of that I did some pretty awful things. But when Alexis first locked eyes with me I was for the first time in a long time completely and utterly overwhelmed. Seeing what I made I knew she was my chance at redemption for some of the sins I committed. I still remember the first night in the hospital where Meredith was asleep and Alexis and I were up in the middle of the night looking at each other. There and then I made a promise to her that I would never take another life willingly again because I didn't want her to have a father she wasn't proud of."

Hearing this Kate felt a sensation of relief flood through her. Until now a part of her had been worried why no dead bodies had surfaced when she had clearly seen how easy it would be for him to cross that line. Kate didn't honestly think she could watch Castle take a life without his own being at risk and not start to resent his actions. Now that she knew that his intent the entire time was to avoid that act she was even more reassured in her decision to help him.

Kate also felt her admiration for him as a man and a parent grow even larger than before. Now she understood why he all the sudden went from an almost pacifist to colder calculating side she had come to see in the past days. His family was in danger and Beckett had always known that Castle would do anything for his little girl. Only recently did she realize that he was capable of far more than she initially thought. Regardless she couldn't help but admire and appreciate all the more this intense protective side that put himself so selflessly second in his own life.

Reaching over she blindly guessed and caught his free hand giving it a squeeze. That squeeze conveyed what she couldn't find the words to say right now. She let him know that she understood and that she didn't pity or disapprove. It let him know that this new knowledge didn't scare her away or make her resent him in any fashion. It let him know that she would be there for him and that no matter what they were in this together. Most of all it let him know that she truly cared for him and that what she had said when they were in that small hotel bathroom still applied.

Conveying all of that with just a simple squeeze it was no surprise that a brilliant smile sprang forth on Kate's face when she felt Castle's hand tighten around hers, giving that same squeeze right back. Hand in hand the two of them continued walking down the tunnel knowing that no matter what they wouldn't be alone.

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	33. APB

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Well it has been a little bit since my last post, don't worry I am still here and committed to finishing this story! Thank you everyone who wrote a review for my last chapter the number is really getting up there and it is fantastic to see. We are definitely in the final stretch of this epic story and I am going to try and ramp it up a bit more in the next few weeks to finish it off (I don't want it to outlast season 3 lol). This chapter is out because A you guys deserve it and B its a bit of a filler, but still required. Some Caskett and episode references in it as well so I hope that perks up the spirits! See if you can catch the reference!

Show wise the last three episodes in my opinion were snooze fests. What was also kind of disappointing was the seemingly ignoring of the end of Countdown. Ahh well I am sticking around until the end of this season for sure without a doubt, but needless to say I am not overly happy with how this dreadful Josh storyline has been done. Really it just feels like it has sucked the energy and life out of Castle and Beckett. But I guess that is what stories like this one are for huh, too keep the fire going!

As always feel free to make any comment, suggestion, review, or anything for this chapter and I hope you all really like it!

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**Chapter 33: APB**

Edgar's life wasn't one that was overly complicated. If anyone asked he would tell them that he was a free spirit and chose to live his life when he wanted and where he wanted. The nice little speech he had didn't really change the fact that he really is homeless. Too many run ins with bad luck, addiction to booze, gambling, and just not having the drive to get up and work everyday probably contributed to the fact that he slept in an alley.

Either way this alleyway right now was his home for the time being and that was all that mattered to him. Unfortunately his home currently sounded like it was under siege.

Right in the middle of the alley a loud banging was heard again and again as if someone was trying to force the very ground up from under him. Everyone thought Edgar was crazy when he talked about the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, but the CHUDs were real and they were after him.

Suddenly a long abandoned box shifted and tumbled to the side as an even louder pop was heard causing him to look on in fear as he knew that his life was going to end very soon. Edgar never thought being eaten alive was going to be how he went out, but he guessed it was a bit better than drowning in his own vomit after drinking too much.

The scraping of metal on pavement was heard and suddenly the voice of the CHUDs came up from the very ground itself. "Finally I didn't think that thing was ever going to come loose."

Following that was a female voice that to Edgar's ears sounded overly cranky and more than likely extremely hungry for his flesh. "Thank God if you let me know we may never be able to get back out I would have never agreed to your stupid plan."

"My plans aren't stupid!"

"Really Castle, are you really sure you want to ride that train?"

"Ok well they aren't ALL stupid and I will admit it probably wasn't the smartest idea to suggest the tunnel when I didn't even know if they bricked up the exits, but hey it still worked."

"Castle seriously as much as I love staring at your ass can you please hurry up so I can get out of this smelly tunnel."

"Why Kate I didn't know that you thought so highly of my posterior."

Apparently the teasing wasn't appreciated because a loud smack was heard and a figure bolted out of the new hole in the ground rubbing its backside as the female voice loudly laughed from still inside.

Finally the other CHUD pulled herself out of the hole while slipping what looked like a flashlight into her pocket. Edgar had to admit for cannibals they sure did look nice, but he still would bet those leather looking jackets weren't made out of cows. Turning they didn't seem to notice him as the man slid some type of cover back over the hole and they began to walk out of the alley still bickering.

"I still don't know why you had to hit me so hard."

"Because you're annoying."

"Well next time you want to cop a feel I would be more than happy to oblige"

Reaching up the woman twisted his ear causing him to start chanting 'Apples' of all things as they turned onto the street and walked out of sight.

Thanking whatever divine being had watched over him Edgar swore that after this brush with death he would get his life back on track.

**(BREAK**

Walking down the street Kate waited about fifteen feet or so before letting go of Castle's ear causing his whining to slacken off. "Don't be such a baby Castle."

"Easy for you to say you're not getting your ear twisted," Castle said with a childish pout.

Sighing Kate rolled her eyes trying to act annoyed when in actuality the whole childish thing did make him look kind of cute. "So what did the guy say in the truck I could only make out the name Vasily Makarov before we had to leave? Oh and how is your head feeling?"

Rubbing his head with his free hand Castle gave her a smile of reassurance, "My head feels fine just had to shake out the cobwebs a little bit, thank god for helmets huh? Well besides giving us a name he also insulted us a good deal. None of that is really useful, but now that we have a name and since we know this guy is aware of other agents in the New York Area I just need to make a phone call to get all the information the agency has on him."

Shooting him a confused look she raised her eyebrow in question and asked, "I thought you were retired CIA and didn't have any connections left to the agency?"

"Well I am retired, but that doesn't mean there isn't anyone there who doesn't owe me a favor. Besides while the CIA can't operate domestically without getting clearance from real high up, that doesn't mean they don't want Vasily captured so they can figure out not only what he is doing here but also what he knows," Castle explained as he headed towards a nearby phone booth.

Digging into his pockets Castle pulled out a small roll of quarters that he broke apart and inserted into the pay phone. Looking on Kate couldn't help but to shake her head, the guy was like a modern day Batman with everything he kept hidden somewhere on his person.

Punching in a number apparently the other end didn't take long to pickup. "Sigma epsilon four, four, bravo, six, confirm," he said waiting for an answer. "I need information on a Vasily Makarov believed to be ex-KGB sighted as of yesterday in downtown New York City. Forward the information to Agent Gray for a rendezvous at the fountain in one hour," Castle finished before abruptly hanging up.

Turning to look at Kate Castle had a big smile back on his face as he grabbed her hand, "So how about some food?"

**(BREAK)**

"You two do realize that this entire situation is turning out to be one hell of a nightmare for me don't you?" Montgomery said looking at his two detectives.

Showing some frustration Esposito couldn't help but agree, "Trust us Captain we know."

"Yea getting our butts whipped by Castle twice definitely wasn't on our things to do list for the week," Ryan said.

"At least we managed to get the two Iranians into custody and even if they aren't talking yet they will eventually. Officers found a detonator in the front seat and it looks like they used it to detonate the bomb in the car, thankfully no one was hurt when that went off since it was parked away from the street. The running theory now is that when the Iranians were surprised by Castle and Beckett causing them to accidently set the charge of prematurely. The FBI and I agree that the car was definitely a trap but we aren't sure if it was for us or for our rouge colleagues," Roy said catching the two detectives up on what they missed while they were chasing the two on the bike.

Esposito explained the situation regarding the search for the duo, "One thing for sure is they definitely gave the FBI and us the slip. We covered all of the exits and with the help of the FBI we searched the place from top to bottom, all that came up was their two helmets. We have no idea where they are hiding and if they left the building how they got out."

"Forensics found some hair inside the helmets the helmets and chances are they are going to be able to positively ID Beckett, maybe Castle too depending on whether he is in the system or not. However, even with them rushing the results they won't get a positive ID until at least four days," Ryan said.

"That's just great! Not only has Beckett gone rouge but Castle seems to be Harry Houdini in his spare time," Roy said with a voice full of sarcasm.

Sighing in resignation the boys were a surprised at his next statement. "After this I don't have much choice anymore. Put out an APB for Castle and Beckett to bring them in. As of now they are officially suspects wanted for question."

"But Captain…" Ryan and Esposito started to protest on top of one another.

Cutting them off his tone left no room for argument. "My hands are tied! We just had a car blow up in the middle of New York City and now the FBI and Mayor are breathing down my neck claiming I'm not sharing all the information I have. I turned a blind eye until now with you two keeping in contact with them but I just ran out of rope. Put the APB out and get bring them in!"

Hearing this short tirade the partners looked like fish out of water, wanting to protest but not being able to find the words. Eventually their faces morphed from looks of shock into ones of resentment and betrayal for their boss and her shadow.

As they were turning away Montgomery's voice called out causing them to pause. "And boys… make sure this doesn't get out. Castle and Beckett may be wanted for questioning and they may be involved but their still one of us." Hearing this Ryan and Esposito gave him gracious nods before heading off to call it in.

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	34. Fountain

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does

A/N: First off I want to tip my hat at the US government and military for successfully finding and neutralizing Osama Bin Laden. Sure it isn't the nicest thing to condone an action that takes a life, but in this case I am kind of ok with it. Not sure if that makes me a bad person or not. Second off the reviews for this story have been EPIC. Thank you so much guys for everything!

Not I have been floating the idea for a director's cut and I still want to know what peoples ideas are in concern to it? Basically it would be a repost with my own notes added in on why I did certian things, what I was thinking, and how I came up with ideas. Let me know if you are open to it because it would actually be a very quick thing for me to do.

Show wise nothing new since our last chapter. I am looking forward to tonight's episode so HAPPY CASTLE DAY! I think this one is going to leave me once again in a more positive place in regards to the show. I won't go into too much detail since we have international readers, but suffice to say I think I will enjoy it and I will definitely post my opinion at the begining of next chapter. This story is in its final stretch and I hope everyone is happy with the direction it is going! As always feel free to comment, criticize, suggest, or just start a dialog in regards to the chapter and the show. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 34: Fountain**

Exactly fifty five minutes after getting off the phone with his CIA contact Castle and Beckett were sitting inside a small eatery called "The Soda Shop."

"You know when you said meet at the fountain this isn't exactly what I had imagined," Kate commented looking around at the diner. When Castle had said meet at the fountain her mind had gone to actual fountains like the on in Central Park, not to places that served food.

"Well that is kind of the point," Castle said while taking a bite from the burger he was eating. "It's only in movies where spies are dumb enough to just name the place they are going to meet. In the real world we use names that remind us of places that have very little to do with the word. In this case fountain refers to this place because of the awesome fountain drinks. You gonna eat that?" Castle finished explaining as his hand darted towards a fry on Kate's plate, and was subsequently rejected with a loud smack causing him to pout and shake the sting away.

Just as an argument was about to break out between the two of them about personal boundaries a voice butted in, "I must say you two do pull off the cover of a married couple quite perfectly."

Turning towards the voice the two of them saw Agent Gray standing in the space next to the table that had been completely vacant seconds ago. "We're not pretending to be married," Kate blurted out without thinking causing Agent Gray to actually develop a little smirk.

"Well then either I missed the invitation to the event or you two are 'not pretending' very well," the CIA agent said as he sat down in the empty seat they had left for him.

"Good to see you how's the family doing?" Castle asked showing that he obviously knew the man on more than a simply professional level.

"Fine the kids are just starting the new grade so it is kind of hectic but they seem to be doing ok. Maggie sends her love," Gray said without pausing as he pulled some documents out of a briefcase and set them on the table.

Nodding his head Castle was through with the pleasantries and decided to get down to the purpose of this meet. "So what does the Agency have on Vasily Makarov?"

"Makarov, Vasily: estimated age is around 45, he is a former KGB agent who was active during the final years of the Soviet Union before it dissolved and was reformed under today's Russia. Specifically he was the Russian equivalent of a handler instead of being an actual field agent like your self. Intel shows that he was associated with the dealings between Iraq and Russia during the time of Desert Storm, but unfortunately we have nothing specific. Makarov carried over from the KGB to the Russian Security Service after the collapse and worked in various operations until his retirement in 2006. Since then the Agency has only kept basic tabs on him where he pops up but mainly he has done consulting work for security firms. Basically the man isn't much of a spook and while he does have KGB training he does not however have the experience or training of a field op which is why we have been able to keep tabs on him so easily over the years," Agent gray explained as he showed them various photos of them man throughout the years.

"What does he want with Castle and more importantly how did he find Felicia Monroe?" Kate asked knowing that this was the fundamental missing piece to how Makarov had found out who Castle was by using Felicia as bait.

Shaking his head Agent Gray answered, "Unfortunately we aren't quite sure how he found out who Agent Monroe was or how he knew she was tied into the past operation with Castle. The Agency is conducting a full internal investigation to ensure that the information was not leaked by an internal source, but due to the utter lack of individuals who knew about the particular op, and taking into account the length of time since it was actually conducted, we don't expect the information was leaked to Makarov from an inside source."

"We also can't rule out that Makarov may have known Felicia was my handler from all those years ago, but was never privy to my identity. If we consider that he knew who she was all these years then I think we have to put the idea on the table that recent events have made the information he wants from me valuable to him where it was before worthless," Castle explained adding his own theory.

"What makes you think the information was privy to only you?" Kate asked trying to prompt him to continue down the path his theory was taking.

"If it wasn't then why the grand setup to draw me out? Makarov knew that Felicia would contact me when it looked like our old op was coming back to haunt her because I was the only other person connected to it from the Agency. Makarov gave her the Ricin to draw her out and after she made the call he killed her with the hope that the media would out my identity as a murder suspect. If Felicia had the information Makarov wanted then we would have never found her and he would have never poisoned her," Castle explained.

"So if we forget about how he found out who Felicia was we can safely guess that Makarov used her death as a means to get to you because whatever he wants he believes you know," Kate said adding to his theory.

"That still doesn't explain why he didn't just kill Agent Monroe and then wait for you to arrive at her apartment and take you at gun point," Agent Gray reasoned.

"Makarov probably wasn't sure if I was going to come or if Felicia had called in a CIA strike team to pick her up. If it was just me then you're right that would have worked, if it was the later then he wouldn't have walked out of the apartment alive. Also he probably knew I was going to scope out the area thoroughly before entering the building and didn't want his only chance to go up in smoke before he ever got a look at my face," Castle explained.

"Ok I can buy that but we still need to find out where he has gone and what he wants," Kate said with frustration at not having any leads finding its way into her voice.

"I may be able to help with the where," Agent Gray said as he slipped another photo out of the folder he had. "This was taken around 11 years ago and shows Makarov with one of his associates."

Looking at the picture Castle swore at seeing who Makarov was standing with. "That's Sergei Sokolov, the leader of the Russian mafia in New York City and a former KGB agent from about a decade ago."

Nodding his head in agreement Agent Gray continued, "That is correct. Makarov was Sergei's handler for a few years before Sergei quit the KGB, moved to the United States, and started his work in organized crime."

"Wait a minute you're saying that Sergei Sokolov, the leader of the Russian mob in New York, is former KGB and that information was never shared with the NYPD?" Kate asked completely floored by the lack of interagency cooperation she had just learned.

Turing to look at her Agent Gray launched into an explanation of why the information wasn't shared. "When Sokolov left the KGB he left not in retirement, but as a defector to the United States with the express purpose of supplying valuable intelligence to the CIA in exchange for a free pass into the country. At the time the intelligence was extremely beneficial and the CIA agreed. However, the CIA did not agree to protect him while he was in the US and had only agreed to withhold his identity from any other government agency. Sergei started a life of crime and the CIA has kept quiet with an agreement that we wouldn't blow the whistle on who he was in exchange that he supply us with any useful information that he learns."

"So you are saying that the CIA has been sitting around letting the man conduct illegal activities in New York City and they are the entire reason he is even in the country?" Kate asked as anger seeped into her voice.

"The CIA is unfortunately not perfect and sometimes a poorly appointed director of the Agency makes bad decisions. I want to assure you Detective that while we did let him in the country and continue to receive information from him we are also looking for evidence of his criminal activities as leverage against him. Unfortunately it is not our fault that he remains perfectly clean. Trust me at this point if we had something on him we wouldn't hesitate to use it to imprison him and make him sing just to get sent to minimum security."

"Regardless," Rick interrupted derailing the impending argument, "Makarov has run out of men and options. We have been dogging him since the moment he killed Felicia and we have trapped him in a foreign country, without any bodyguards left almost, and with no resources left."

Pulling over the photo showing Makarov and Sokolov together Castle pointed to Sokolov's face. "Whatever deal he has that involves me you can be assured that he has gone to Sokolov and now it comes down to whether or not Sergei gets involved and takes a cut of the money, or if he throws Makarov out and refuses to have any part of it. Either way Sokolov is our best lead at the moment."

"Why do I get a feeling that shaking up the head of the Russian mob isn't going to be easy?" Kate asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well either you are a great guesser or you know that I already shot two of his bodyguards in the knees," Castle said wincing as the pair shot him piercing glances.

"The CIA cannot officially take part in any operation that is conducted on domestic soil, you know that Rick," Agent Gray explained.

"Not to mention that the FBI and NYPD are pretty much going full tilt on trying to find us, and Ryan and Esposito aren't even supplying us information anymore so that is not longer an in to Montgomery," Kate added.

"Yup and don't forget that we don't even know for certain that Makarov has gone running to Sergei," Castle said shaking his head at how the entire situation seemed so complicated.

"So what's our move?" Kate asked giving Castle her entire attention.

Looking at Kate an idea came to him that made a grin appear on his face. "How well do you look in black?"

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	35. Surveillance

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Ok been a bit longer than I hoped and I am so sorry but due to being a bit crappy I couldn't respond to anyones comments. Don't worry though they I have read them all and some of them were definitely helpful for the creative process! Ok quick recap of my thoughts of last episode, and I wasn't a huge fan. The reason for that is because it was filler and I really don't like filler right before the big finale. If anyone watches NCIS their episode on Tuesday was an awesome lead in for their finale, I want Castle to do that. Also I completely called Josh not being gone btw, sad to say but I really just have no faith in Andrew Marlowe or the writers of Castle at the moment. I watched the sneak peek (which was good and its all I will say) but I don't think that will turn the entire season from being bad into good. One episode doesn't really justify an entire season of mediocrity in my book so I'll be on the fence as a faithful Castle watcher next season, chances are I will casually view and if it looks like season 1 and 2 again I may get back on board.

Storywise this chapter was fun to write, and the most awesome thing is I know exactly where to go from here on out in a general sense. That is awesome because I have had a couple of rough spots so expect some quicker updates! I know what I want in next chapter, the chapter after, and so forth. The story is in its crescendo and I hope I don't disappoint! Also please let me know if you are interesting in a directors cut of this story where I just go into detail on some of my thoughts on specific areas and it would be a real quick like 2-3 week think max. I know many people have commented on this story about the realism, the detail, and what not. So let me know!

As always feel free to comment, criticize, complain, or compliment in a review because I love reading them! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 35: Surveillance**

Hours later near the dead of night Kate was laying prone next to Castle on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse 300 yards away from the building they were currently watching rather intently. Castle had "dressed her down" so to speak and her clothes now were worn for function rather than fashion. Her pants were now cargos with various items in each pocket, her shirt had been changed to a turtleneck with a form fitting Kevlar vest overtop, upon her head was a ski hat akin to what a robber might wear, her hair was pulled back and tucked into the neck of her shirt so it didn't hang loose, her hands were covered in gloves, and all of it was in various dark shades of black that were barely noticeable in their differences.

Castle had said that the slight off shades were so that it broke up her silhouette explaining that when looking for a person in the dark the most recognizable thing was the outline of a human body, hence different shades to keep that outline from being uniform. What was a first for her however was her face being covered in dark camouflage paint that Castle has applied haphazardly on her face in various streaks all moving in directions to best mask her white skin in the dark.

Feeling him touch her face with his warm hands while he had been applying it was something that had made her heart race and her mouth dry out. Kate had to squash the desire to lean further into his touch like some high school girl with her first crush. It definitely didn't help that while he was doing this Castle would look into her eyes like he was not only seeing her soul, but that what he was seeing was the most precious sight he had ever laid eyes upon.

Shaking herself out of her slight stupor at remembering those moments Kate refocused her attention through the equipment Castle had them bring along. Beckett had been on the force for a long time but she had to admit they never had gear like this. Lying next to Castle she was looking through a night vision scope while Castle had a thermal imager. Not only did she clearly see the perimeter guards and the ones in the windows but with the thermal imager Castle could see the people actually inside the building itself.

"We definitely don't have this kind of gear on the force," Kate whispered.

"Yea well I have a bit bigger of a budget than the NYPD when it comes to the toys," Castle replied tossing her a quick grin before returning his attention to the scope.

"So what is the plan exactly, just surveillance?" Kate asked wanting to know where he intended to go with this.

"We need confirmation that Makarov is inside the building with Sokolov and from there we can then decide whether to call in the cavalry or make a move ourselves," Castle said.

"What do you mean make a move ourselves? Castle we are definitely calling Ryan and Esposito when we see him," Kate hissed in irritation that even now, with dozens of armed men in front of them, Castle was still contemplating going it alone.

"Trust me Kate going in solo is my last option as well, but the NYPD and FBI don't have a thing on either Makarov or Sokolov. Man the Russians really like OVs at the end of their names don't they?" Castle said before going off on his own tangent while giving her a silly grin.

"We have him on illegal entering the country, consorting with criminals, and we will most likely get him on illegal possession of firearms and maybe explosives. Castle we have enough to get him indicted," Kate said ticking off a few of the most obvious crimes while trying to conceal a grin at his off topic comment.

"Yea but you and I both know it won't stick. The only one who has witnessed any of that is us and if it goes to an actual trial the max they will give him is like three years. That is the man that murdered Felicia Kate, and I want to make sure he goes down for it," Castle said his voice getting a bit heated near the end.

Looking at him intently a piece of the puzzle clicked into Kate's head. "You were close to her weren't you? That is why you've always used her first name unlike the rest of us. She was never Agent or Miss Monroe, you've always called her Felicia," Kate said keeping a quiet and encouraging tone hoping he would open up about it.

Sighing she had to wait almost five minutes before he began to speak. "When Felicia was assigned as my handler it was supposed to be no more than a routine surveillance job. Follow some Russian government officials who were meeting with some Iraqi contacts and see what they were talking about and if possible interfere, no chatter mentioned that it would have any significance. The job was Felicia's first assignment as a control officer and she was really wet around the ears, I'm talking right out of the farm. She was competent but when it ended up the meeting was about a large sale of Russian tanks, well it was kind of over her head. Either way our job was to try and disrupt the sale as much as possible and I eventually did by intercepting the drop site locations and calling in the cavalry to pickup the gold. By the end of the mission she had an immense amount of confidence in herself that ended up turning her into a wonderful agent. "

"I never did meet Felicia face to face until later when I was pulled back stateside and we were debriefed together in Langley. I'll never forget what she told me when we first met in person," Castle said getting a wistful look in his eyes as he mentally traveled back in time. "She thanked me for being so calm during the entire mission because when she found out how big of a deal we had listened in on she said she nearly had a panic attack thinking we were in over our heads. She credited me with saving her job by not including her moment of self doubt in my report, which for a control officer is the kiss of death. Felicia was extremely competent, and from what I heard turned out to be a great agent, but it was just too much too soon for her to be handling a job involving hundreds of millions of dollars."

Sighing in a tone of regret Kate reached over and grasped his free hand, squeezing it in support as he finished his reminiscing. "I just hate to think that the one job I did with her, her first field job, was the one that came back to kill her all these years later. What makes it even worse is the fact that her entire death was all for the purpose of finding me because of something I know but don't realize. That is why we have to make sure that when we get this guy that he is thrown away and never sees the light of day again." Turning to look at Kate she saw the complete and utter conviction in his eyes at the statement, Castle was in it until the end.

Nodding once, and completely understanding his need for justice as it mirrored her own need to find her mom's killer, Kate trusted him to do that right thing. Castle talked about Justice, not Vengeance, and as subtle as the difference was Kate knew that it was the difference between killing the man and arresting him to let the courts decide upon his punishment.

"Middle right window on the top floor, can you get an ID on who the two men in front of the window are?" he suddenly asked causing her to turn her gaze back to the night vision scope she was looking through.

Realizing she wasn't going to be able to see in the window because of the lights being on she switched the scope off its night vision setting and gained a clear sight at the people in the room. Sucking in a breath she saw Makarov and Sokolov talking and it appeared that it wasn't exactly a friendly conversation. Kate relayed this information to Castle who, instead of dropping his own surveillance to look as well, kept his eyes on the guards patrolling the perimeter so they were not caught unaware.

"Looks like Sokolov isn't too happy Vasily decided to bring his problems to his front door," Kate said as she continued to observe what appeared to be a dressing down of Makarov. God knows she had seen enough given by Montgomery, along with being on the receiving end a few times, to recognize it for what it was.

"Yea well he knows that Makarov is compromising his cover and he does not want the FBI and the NYPD looking into his past and seeing the letters KGB. When the FBI and NYPD find out that Sokolov used to be a Russian spy they will have a much better direction in the hunt for incriminating evidence and no matter how good Sokolov is he hasn't buried all of his skeletons," Castle commented never once glancing at the two men talking in the room.

"Ok so we have the two of them talking together in the room, now what do we do?" Kate asked letting him take the lead since they were after all in his element.

Looking at the two men in the office she heard Castle rummage around then start to punch numbers into a phone as he began to speak. "It's simple really," he said as he stopped hitting the keys presumably hitting send, "We call Sokolov."

Tearing her eyes away from the scope her mouth was gaping open as she saw Castle with a phone pressed to his ear. Turning back to the scope she peered through it to see that Sokolov had stopped yelling and the gaze of the two men was concentrated directly on the phone on the desk. What the hell was Castle doing?

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	36. Behind You

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: Definitely the final stretch and I think all of you will be able to see that we are definitely nearing our end fast and with some strong purpose! I love the reviews and I am sorry I haven't been able to respond but still is broken so I have had to remain silent. Thank you for your great words and I hope that this is a good gift for everyone on this auspicious Castle day. I'm going to keep this short and sweet since the season 3 finale airs tonight which I can't wait for. Despite my misgivings about the show and my uncertain future with it I still think tonight's episode will be great!

Please review, comment, criticize, or do anything you please in regards to this chapter. Nearing the 600 mark and I am so honored so many of you think so highly of this story. Thanks so much and enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter 36: Behind You**

Looking at the two men through the scope she saw Sokolov reach to pickup the phone just as he she felt Castle nudge her shoulder. Glancing at him she saw he was holding an ear bud in his hand with its twin already firmly placed in his ear. Taking it Kate managed to put it in just as she heard Sokolov answer the phone.

"Hello?" the deep Russian voice asked in obvious confusion.

"Sergei I hear that you have ties to one Vasily Makarov and that he has recently come to you for aid. I find myself suddenly having a proposition for you in regards to our mutual acquaintance," Castle said.

"Who is this?" Sergei asked not giving anything up.

"I am the man that has caused poor little Vasily to come running to you in fear. He killed a friend of mine to try and draw me out and apparently he didn't release exactly who he was asking to come out and play." the voice Castle used had become deadly serious and listening Kate couldn't help but entertain a mental image of the younger CIA agent Richard Rodgers standing on a roof in Russia scaring the wits out of a contact.

"And how do you think this concerns me?" clearly Sokolov did not want Vasily to know that he was speaking to the very people that Vasily was running from. Kate had to admit the guy was playing it very cool and it looked like he wasn't intending to pick a side until he knew which would benefit him greater. The man wasn't stupid at all, he definitely didn't have any loyalty whatsoever, but he sure wasn't stupid.

"Because Makarov can be connected to a car bomb that went off earlier in the day, ten of his associates are currently in custody with the New York Police Department and FBI, because if Makarov brings you down it will be on charges that even you cannot dodge. I want Makarov Sergei, all I am asking is that you deliver him to me and I will leave you alone," Castle said.

"I will think on it, do you have a number I can reach you at?"

"I will contact you in two hours with an address to meet. Make sure you brink Makarov and this entire thing can go away," Castle said establishing the deadline.

"And if I cannot find him in that amount of time?" Sergei asked clearly trying to explore all of his options.

Chuckling Castles' response was priceless, "That shouldn't be too hard my friend, you just have to turn around." And with that Castle hung up the phone.

Quickly looking through the scope Kate witnessed Sergei tense up in shock over what he had just heard before his eyes quickly darted out the window in realization that Castle had been watching him the entire time. Turning to glance at Castle she saw a 'cat ate the canary' grin on his face.

"That was sooo Jason Bourne!" he exclaimed with childlike glee.

Laughing at his antics, and because only he could turn a deadly serious situation into a completely silly one in a matter of seconds, Kate started to pack up while chuckling. Gathering their things together they quickly stood up and started towards the fire escape near the opposite edge of the roof. They both needed to be gone in a matter of minutes because they knew it would only take that long for Sokolov to get his men to search the area for them.

"Do you think he will deliver Makarov or try and double cross us? Because from experience I can tell you trusting gangsters and mob bosses doesn't really turn out well," Kate said.

"Depends on how Sergei balances the risk vs. rewards. If whatever Makarov promises is worth risking his clean record for, then yeah he will be coming armed to the teeth and try to take us down. But, if Sergei decides that Makarov isn't worth the risk then he will have no problem tying him up and tossing him our way. Sergei isn't exactly remembered for his loyalty," Castle said as they moved down the fire escape to the waiting bike they had left in the alley.

"Plan for the worst and hope for the best?" Kate asked as much as said.

"Now your thinking like a spy!" Castle said with a large smile on his face. Putting on their helmets he started the bike and they sped into the night.

**(BREAK)**

"I got something!" an FBI agent shouted from the desk he was currently working at causing every agent involved to divert their attention. As they crowded around his desk the man flipped his listening device to speaker confident that even if someone was too loud it was being recorded anyway. Ryan, Montgomery, Esposito, and every FBI and NYPD agent in the vicinity were listening intently.

"Hello?" a voice with a deep Russian accent, but that still pronounced English clearly, asked.

"Sergei I hear that you have ties to one Vasily Makarov and that he has recently come to you for aid. I find myself suddenly having a proposition for you in regards to our mutual acquaintance," the well known voice of a certain writer was heard.

"That's our boy alright," Esposito said confirming the identity before everyone's attention was back on the speaker.

"Who is this?" the Russian voice asked again.

"I am the man that has caused poor little Vasily to come running to you in fear. He killed a friend of mine to try and draw me out and apparently he didn't release exactly who he was asking to come out and play."

"And how do you think this concerns me?"

"Because Makarov can be connected to a car bomb that went off earlier in the day, ten of his associates are currently in custody with the New York Police Department and FBI, because if Makarov brings you down it will be on charges that even you cannot dodge. I want Makarov Sergei, all I am asking is that you deliver him to me and I will leave you alone," Castle's voice was as cold as ice and even some of the officers who knew him since his first days were caught off guard by its intensity.

"I will think on it, do you have a number I can reach you at?"

"I will contact you in two hours with an address to meet. Make sure you brink Makarov and this entire thing can go away,"

"And if I cannot find him in that amount of time?"

"That shouldn't be too hard my friend, you just have to turn around." And with that last foreboding sentence there was a click as the line went dead.

"The phone line called was registered to one of Sergei Sokolov's offices. The alleged head of the Russian mob in New York," the FBI technician working the phone stated causing some of the people who had been around to see Sergei's rise to power suck in a sharp breath at the realization of exactly how serious some of these players were.

"Was this live?" the lead FBI agent, Special Agent Burrows, asked.

Upon receiving a nod from the technician he and Montgomery launched into action. As Burrows started to coordinate information about Sokolov and getting people to tail him Montgomery worked on the Castle and Beckett angle.

"Ryan, Esposito. Get all of the traffic cams for a five block radius from the address that phone is registered to. Castle and Beckett have used a bike before so start looking for those. I want to know where they were and where they are going and I want to know now," Montgomery commanded as he went to go coordinate with Burrows.

While the FBI and the NYPD had definitely not started on the best of terms, with the Feds assuming that the NYPD were all guilty from the start, it had turned into a relationship that had actually ended up being one of mutual respect. Burrows had acknowledged after Ryan and Esposito had turned up with some suspects that had been gift wrapped that giving the locals a loose leash would be more beneficial. Montgomery had realized then that the Feds weren't anything like people you hear about in the media and that Burrows was quick to react and change his game when he realized something wasn't working. Roy being a practical man saw that the guy prescribed to the philosophy 'if you do the same thing you get the same results' and he respected a man who was willing to admit he was doing something wrong and work to correct it. From that point on they had mutually shared information and had worked together to help solve the case.

"I have men moving to Sokolov's known establishments with orders to keep their eyes open but not make their presence known. I also have my men looking up anyone with the last name Makarov that has come into the country or could have ties with this case," Burrows said filling in Montgomery.

"Look for a Makarov that has ties with the KGB I get the feeling that this guy is more than just your average tourist. Meanwhile we are scouring the city for Castle and Beckett using traffic cams to try and find what their destination is," Roy said going on a hunch from what Agent Gray had mentioned days before.

"Fact of the matter is we don't have any solid evidence against this Makarov guy to finger him as the actual person behind this, let alone any evidence he killed Miss Monroe. The only tangible evidence for a still wanted suspect is the hair in the helmets we found in the library. I'm betting that leads us to your girl and her shadow and because of that they become our main focus," Burrows said explaining the situation from his standpoint to Montgomery.

"Beckett is a damned good Detective and Castle is practically just as good. If those two are drawing Makarov out then the best bet is to setup surveillance and try and catch them red handed. If we surround their meet and play our cards right we may be able to let those two force a confession and wrap this entire thing up with a nice bow," Roy said.

"So even if we find them before this meet you want us to wait and see what happens?" Burrows asked clearly a little put off by the idea.

"I'm saying that these two aren't going in this without a plan and if I know my people they plan on getting this guy to confess to killing Felicia Monroe and if possible they will try and get Sergei Sokolov on something as well and bring down the entire Russian Mob. I understand the risk but if they are willing to take it then I say we give them the chance they need," Montgomery said with conviction and determination in his voice.

Thinking it over eventually Burrows gave his answer, "Ok Roy, if we have a choice we'll give them a chance. Let's hope they can bring this entire thing down like a house of cards."

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	37. Reasons

Disclimer: I do not own Castle ABC does.

A/N: FINALLY this chapter reveals WHY the Russian is after Castle. Now when you read it you should be able to tell that I did in fact actually foreshadow and mention the reason on more than one occassion. Just had to think about it from a different angle so it shouldn't be too surprising. It will be one of those how did I miss it moments! This chapter is pretty long clocking in at over 4k words but you all definitely deserved it!

I know this has taken me a bit of time to get out but really the finale kind of killed some of my motivation. Because of that I needed to take some time away from the writing. Needless to say I didn't like it and check out my story "A Hole in the Heart" to see how I would have liked it to end and season 4 to open roughly. Either way I am not going to get into it too much.

The reviews for this story, incredible, spectacular, outrageously awesome! Over 600 and jeez guys and gals they just keep getting better and better. Unfortunately I haven't been able to respond really because is broken when it comes to review replies, but rest assured I am reading each and everyone and enjoying each and everyone. As always feel free to criticize, compliment, suggest, praise, or anything else in a review. Reading the reviews makes my day so please leave one. Also leave me a note letting me know if you would be interested in a directors commentary of the story where I repost and then while writing post why I wrote things the way I did or how I figured stuff out. It is definitely not something we normally see so if your interested I will do it and probably do the entire story in a week or two since I don't have to get creative lol.

Remember please review!

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**Chapter 37: Reasons**

Castle and Beckett were sitting on a pair of small milk crates playing a game of Texas Holdem on an overturned box. No actual chips, or equivalent of chips, were being used and really the pair were just playing to pass the time until their "guests" arrived.

_*FLASH*_

_Castle and Beckett had finished setting up the appropriate meeting spot and all that was left was getting to location to the Russians without them becoming suspicious that it would be compromised. Specifically that meant it couldn't be done through any electronic means or else it would be a simple matter for the Feds or the NYPD to snatch it out of cyberspace or telephone lines before it reached the destination. While Makarov may be a bit on the dull side Sergei by no means was and Castle knew that there would be no way he would even come to a drop without the destination being delivered in a secure manner. Even then he would more than likely go through a pretty extensive sequence of switching cars, traveling below street levels, not having any phones on his person, and more to ensure that the authorities didn't follow him._

"_So phones and internet are out and we don't have enough time to send him a letter, so how the heck are we supposed to let him know where to meet us, carrier pigeon?" Kate asked with a bemused smirk at looking Castle, the technological poster boy, try and figure out exactly how to get a message across._

"_Ok this was a heck of a lot easier back in the late 80s when they couldn't trace this stuff as easily. Not to mention it's much easier to call the Russians when the only people that could trace them is themselves" Castle grumbled clearly not happy at the fact that he was stumped and Beckett was teasing him about it._

"_Well short of just walking it in ourselves I don't think we have much of an option Castle. And I think its kind of important to point out before you jump at the idea that walking in ourselves defeats the purpose of having a meeting place," she continued in her ribbing._

_Apparently something she said though caught his attention as he perked up at her latest faux suggestion. "Kate that's absolutely brilliant!" he shouted before yanking her by his side and sealing their lips in a passionate kiss. What quickly started as being from mostly gratitude progressed quickly into something of a much more lust driven action._

_Pulling away both were a little breathless as Beckett looking into his eyes with a mischievous glint, "Wow Castle I have to come up with bad ideas more often if that is how you are going to react." _

_Chuckling Castle slowly released her before he dropped the idea that she, his muse, had inspired upon him. "Courier"_

_*FLASH*_

From there all they had to do was write down the message, find a twenty four hour messenger service, and then hand seal the meeting address themselves and instruct the messenger where to take it. The great thing about New York City was that since it was the city that never sleeps a great deal of its services never slept either. From there they had driven back to the location and started a game of poker to pass the time until the Russians showed up.

Kate's suggestion really was brilliant, even if it had only served as inspiration. Handing the couriers a sealed envelope and only telling them where to deliver it insured that the NYPD couldn't intercept the messenger on his way back and have him divulge the information. Dropping it off themselves insured no one could trace where it came from, and finally Sergei would recognize it for what it was, a secure means of communication. Castle had been a bit hesitant about the safety of the messenger himself, but with the NYPD and Feds assuredly watching Sergei's moves he was fairly confident the man wouldn't kill the messenger.

Still Castle knew that the Russians showing up wasn't completely guaranteed and it hinged on either Makarov being a gigantic pain in Sergei's ass, or the amount promised to Sergei was worth the risk. Castle and Beckett had thankfully planned for both and as the rumble of engines parking outside sounded that was a very comforting think.

_*FLASH*_

"_So plan for the worst and hope for the best, how exactly do we do that?" Kate had asked as soon as they had decided upon a meeting location._

"_I'm guessing the NYPD doesn't exactly hold a lot of classes in designing, preparing, and executing ambushes huh." was Castle's rhetorical answer._

_Seeing that she only gave him a raised eyebrow in response Castle elaborated, "The entire purpose behind an ambush it of course to take your opponent completely by surprise; however with a situation like ours that becomes a whole lot more complicated. Sergei is without a doubt going to bring more manpower than the two of us and the only way we can assure this doesn't go right down the drain is by slanting the playing field in our direction."_

_Moving towards one of the duffel bags he had grabbed earlier he began to open it and pull out an assortment of firearms and high explosives that were tucked inside. "We have to look at how they will come in and what they can possibly use to their advantage. Then we have to do our best to either completely take away those advantages, or even better turn them completely against them."_

"_And what if we do as much as we can and it's still not enough?" Kate asked wanting to know what the backup plan to this backup plan was._

_Castle smiled as he grabbed a brick of C4 and walked towards a wall that was behind some large crates and out of the view of the door. Pushing the brick and molding it into a gauge in the wall Castle stuck in the detonating plunger before turning around with a smile. "Well if all else fails we just have to make sure we have a way out."_

_*FLASH*_

Glancing back towards the area where Castle had setup the C4 escape route Beckett was a bit nervous knowing that there last ditch effort was to blow a hole in the wall in order to escape. Still while being a very blunt means of getting out of the building it was also ingenious. The Russians, if they had any brains at all, would most assuredly cover all of the exits before entering. That meant that walking out any of those doors could be a potential death trap. However, no one would expect them to be making their own. That didn't even mention the wide variety of other "improvements" she and Castle had made such as moving cover in strategic positions for only their use, planting weapons and extra ammo in easily accessible areas, and Castle's surprise when things went belly up. Not to mention the few completely "cop" additions she had also made that he had been wholeheartedly behind.

Hearing the engines die down Kate faintly heard car doors being slammed shut. Looking up at Castle she saw him giver he a comforting smile and squeeze her hand in reassurance. This was it, the final chapter in this god forsaken goose chase they had been led onto days before. Hearing the door grate against its hinges the partners both turned their heads towards the door as Russian thugs suddenly swarmed into the room with their weapons raised and ready to shoot the duo where they stood. Looking at the AK-47s held in their hands Beckett was glad for the better than normal body armor Castle had given her while they were gearing up.

_*FLASH*_

_**As Kate was checking the weapons she had chosen for herself, making sure not a single one had a flaw that could cost her or Castle's lives, Rick came up and set a bulletproof vest down in front of her. "Isn't that a little small Castle?" Kate said looking at a vest that looked like it could easily fit under her coat and not be overly noticeable. It was vastly smaller than the one she usually wore when storming a crime scene that the NYPD issued.**_

"_**Yeah but then again you get what you pay for, and this is much more expensive than the suit vest you normally wear.. It's called Dragon Skin and it's basically a bunch of overlapping discs that provides better protection along with more flexibility. The CIA has been using the armor in their field ops and it will take multiple AK-47 rounds without failing," he explained.**_

"_**And why exactly do you have one fitted for my size?"**_

"_**It's actually fitted based on Alexis' measurements but even though you're a lot taller its mostly in leg so the fit should be just about right," Castle explained with a harmless expression on his face.**_

_**Shaking her head she took it from him and checked it out before trying it on. Just as he was walking away thinking he was off the hook she bounced a piece of paper off the back of his head causing him to cringe. "That's for checking out my legs so much Castle."**_

_***FLASH***_

As one of the goons gave the all clear in Russian the two men that she had seen in the office stepped in. Finally they were face to face with Sergei Sokolov and Dimitri Makarov. Seeing that the duo had indeed shown up personally, and not just sent men, Kate tapped her sleeve before turning back to Castle as they continued to play like they didn't have a care in the world. Castle had explained that remaining indifferent and unimpressed would go a long way in making Sergei think that they had the upper hand. That still didn't stop a bead of sweat from rolling down her back because of nerves.

"Sergei, Dimitri, care to play a hand?" Castle asked as he dealt a new hand out. "I must say Dimitri that we have had to jump through quite a bit of hoops in order to meet you face to face but hey no harm no foul right?"

"Well technically we did take out his goons so doesn't that mean there was a little bit of harm involved?" Kate asked slipping into their banter in order to throw the Russians off balance.

"Oh yea I forgot about that how many Iranians did we end up taking out, eight, nine?" Castle said looking at her as if seeking confirmation.

"Pretty sure it was eleven, then again they kind of all look the same so who knows," Kate answered right back as she picked the cards up and frowned as she realized she didn't have anything.

Seeing Makarov get upset, probably at the fact that his plans had failed so spectacularly, Castle couldn't help but start to tease him. "Aw I think we're hurting his feelings," he taunted with a big smile on his face.

"It isn't our fault that he just plain sucks at all of this," Kate said still looking at her cards.

"Enough!" Sergei said letting them know that he was a bit tired of their antics.

"I must say Sergei thanks for delivering Makarov to us, but now that we have him you can go and we won't even breathe a word of your involvement," Castle said waving his hand in dismissal.

Grinning Sergei's response was definitely not the one they hoped for. "I think not," he said with a grin as him men raised their rifles pointing them at Kate and Castle.

Makarov's anger quickly transformed into that of glee as the situation quickly shifted into his balance for a change. "Now _Richard Castle_ you will tell us everything we want to know," he said emphasizing the fact that he actually knew Castle's name.

Swiveling on the crate he was sitting on Castle still had a big smile on his face, one designed to unnerve the men facing them even though they had the upper hand. "See that's the problem we have Dimitri, I have no clue what the hell you want from me. Then again even if I did I can't say I would readily share it with you."

"Near two decades ago you stole the locations of the drop points for the largest arms sale from the Soviet Union to the Iraqis. I want the location," Makarov said with steel behind his words.

Cocking his head at Kate, who was still studying her cards frowning, Castle went for mocking, "Is he serious, does this guy really think all of that gold is out there and we never picked it up? I tell you these KGB handlers really aren't the brightest bulbs."

"The tanks Mr. Castle. Dimitri wants the location of the tanks," Sergei said showing he was slightly frustrated with the entire ordeal.

Now, clearly surprised at that revelation, Castle was asking the questions, "Are you telling me that those tanks are still sitting out there and the Russians never went back to get them?"

"After the Soviet Union collapsed, shortly after that sale fell through, the country was in turmoil. Many things were lost during that time as people fought to control the newly formed country. Unfortunately the location of the tanks was destroyed during so that they could not be used by any of those fighting for power. Afterwards there was no record of where they were and those who were involved were dead." Makarov answered.

"So you're saying that the only person who knows exactly where those tanks are is me?" Castle asked a bit incredulously as the Russians nodded their heads.

"My clients in Iran are willing to pay very handsomely for their location and after I told Sergei I would give him a large percentage of the deal he agreed to help," Makarov said explaining why Sergei had stuck by his side. Castle knew it couldn't be due to loyalty.

Hearing what they had to say it suddenly made sense for Beckett and Castle. The Iranians, killing Felicia to uncover Castle and then get to him, wanting to take him alive, it all made perfect sense. Makarov had no idea who Castle was from the start, but he knew that the CIA agent had stolen both of the locations. He had figured out somehow that Felicia was associated with the mission and used her as bait to draw Castle out. Plunging the ricin into her caused her to go into panic and contact Castle. The Iranians were accompanying Makarov as muscle and insurance by the Iranian government that he succeeded. This entire thing was about finding the location of old Cold War tanks so Makarov could make an arms deal that was probably in the hundreds of millions.

Now Castle had only one more question he needed the answer for. "Why Felicia, how did you find her and why did you kill her?" he asked almost as if he was pleading for the entire thing to make sense.

Makarov hearing his tone couldn't help but gloat. "I actually knew she was the handler for the mission a few years after it took place. Fortunately for her the information was useless at the time since no one wanted the tanks and I wasn't going to give them back to the 'Mother Land'," he said with obvious contempt for the country as a whole.

"However when I heard word that the Iranians were in need of weapons to further their defiance of the West, well that information suddenly became very profitable. Tracking her down was difficult but shortly afterwards I poisoned her in order to get her to lead me to you and then I shot her before she could warn you what was going to happen..."

"Makarov!" Sergei yelled interrupting his evil genius speech. "Are you really that much of a fool?"

Shocked at Sergei's chastisement Dimitri looked back at Castle to see that now the gloating smile was firmly planted on the face of the author.

"What do you think Kate we get enough?" he asked.

Having stopped looking at her cards to bore a hole through Makarov's head with her smile was equally gloating. "Yeah Castle I think we got more than enough," she said as her gaze flickered to the side and up rather obviously.

_*FLASH*_

"_We need to get him to confess," Kate had said as they were preparing._

"_What do you mean?" Castle had asked as he was pushing a crate to the center of the room to use as a table._

"_I mean we need to get him to confess to Felicia's murder so that there is zero doubt about who killed her and no one can try and pin it on you."_

"_And how do we do that?" Castle asked._

"_Do you have any recording equipment?" Kate said a sly smirk forming on her face. Preparation could be very very fun._

_*FLASH*_

Turning the Russians noticed for the first time that a microphone was setup and pointed right where they stood. Castle and Beckett had recorded every word of the conversation, the reasons, why Sergei was helping, the confession, everything.

Makarov and even Sergei turned their shocked gazes back at the partners sitting on their crates. "Don't look at me it was all the cop's idea," Castle said with a cheeky grin firmly in place.

Pulling a pistol out from his waistband Sergei leveled it right at Castle. "Give us the information NOW or I will put a bullet through her head," he said as he switched his aim towards Beckett.

Before Castle could even answer sirens suddenly were heard faintly in the background growing louder and louder.

_*FLASH*_

"_Castle before we get in touch with the Russians we need to have a way to contact Ryan and Esposito to let them know where we are incase this goes poorly," Kate said using her tone that let him know it wasn't up for negotiation._

_Nodding his head Castle agreed on this statement, "Ok Kate but we can't do anything until we know for sure that Sergei and Makarov are actually here and don't just send some of their men. I don't want the NYPD and FBI hanging around outside the building only to scare them off by being so noticeable."_

"_So how about sending a text message the minute we know the two of them are actually here?" she asked trying to work out the logistics of how to do it without being noticed while under the gaze of probably multiple armed Russian thugs and their boss._

_Holding up a roll of tape and an old styled cell phone with button Castle had a smile on his face._

_*FLASH*_

Since it was the fall, and Beckett could get away with her jacket being on, the Russians would never be able to tell that she had a cell phone up her sleeve taped to her forearm. Before they even came she had preloaded the text so all she had to do was hit the send button and away it went to Ryan and Esposito. As soon as Kate saw that they came themselves a subtle touch to the sleeve of her jacket sent the text out telling Ryan and Esposito to bring the cavalry.

"TELL ME NOW OR SHE DIES!" Makarov screamed as he too pulled a pistol and leveled it at Beckett. Turning towards each other they grinned. They still had one ace up their sleeve just incase this exact situation ended up happening.

_*FLASH*_

"_So now that we have everything setup what do we do if it goes all to hell? What's the plan?" Kate asked after the room was setup all besides the crate Castle intended to sit on. That he actually had upside down as he worked on it. _

"_Simple," he replied not bothering to raise his head. Going to look at what he was doing she noticed he was fiddling with a detonator._

"_I rig this detonator as a dead man's switch, and place it under the crate. Then the small C4 it sets off is hooked up to the buildings power and boom, when I tip it over the lights go out." Castle explained as he turned the crate back over motioning for her to sit on it._

"_Ok now here is the important part. Don't get up until I come back and sit on that crate because the minute I put the plunger into the C4 it will be live and I really really don't want it to blow up in my hand because you had to go to the little girls room," Castle explained causing Beckett to swat him on the head in return_

_*FLASH*_

"Ok, ok. You win Makarov it was a good chase but it looks like you got me." Castle said as he raised his hands and stood up with Kate mirroring his actions. With his left foot he played his final card and he tipped the crate he had been sitting on over. The minute the crate left the ground a boom was heard and the room plunged into darkness.

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